Taking Thoughts Captive

Not too long back, my husband and I had a conversation with someone. Who seemed pretty pleased with himself and his ability to use large words in complete sentences.

He would spout off statistics left and right about every topic under the sun. And God help you if you tried to question him. Because he was an Authority on every realm, especially other people and their heart motives. He would say that someone was a "lower class" person...that this other person "had gone about such and such the wrong way"...on and on it went. Like some sort of crescendo, his opinionated "facts" got more and more offensive. Louder and more abrasive. Like he was fanning his own flame of intelligence and getting a "high" off of hearing himself speak.

Please understand, I don't think his intent was to be a bigot, but he was being one all the same. In fact, the first thing that he said when he arrived at our home was how "He didn't get upset when non-Christians acted a certain way. But when CHRISTIANS...people who are supposed to be imitating Christ...acted wrongly, then he had issues with it." But then, for the next 3 hours, he ranted and raved about himself and others. Building himself up as wise and all-knowing. Tearing others down as always missing the mark.

At one point during the conversation, he brought up some people he knew that were "waiting until marriage before they kissed." He said how he was glad that the people had morals and everything, but that they were taking it "a little too far."

Huh. I sat there, trying to contain this anger that was building up inside me. I didn't realize that you could take being pure "too far". That morality had it's limits, and you could, in fact, cross over to becoming "too good". How dare he gossip about these people that were not present to take up for themselves. How dare he sit there and play judge and jury over the fact that they were trying to be excellent in the area of protecting their hearts against lust.

Do I say something? Do I call him, a virtual stranger, on it? ...in hindsight, I still don't know. But it was one of those moments where you are so completely stunned, that you sit there thinking "Surely, this is not happening. Surely, this guy is joking, right?" But sadly, he was not.
His ranting got to the point where I was literally sick to my stomach and had to leave the room.

So my question...what SHOULD have been my reaction? Someone please tell me. Because I am stumped. What would Jesus have said had he been sitting there? (of course, he wouldn't have been saying all of that had Jesus been visibly sitting there) So what was it about me that led him to believe I was enjoying the fact that he was using my ears as a dump for all the trash-talk he could come up with?

How come we/I can wink at the amount of violence on television. Call it "freedom of art" when actors go naked on screen. Tolerate, for the sake of "accepting others," the blatant decay of morality in our society? YET when another Christian tries to uphold a different standard for their life...when someone tries to live a life of excellence, we/I feel the need to "knock them back down to reality"? Can someone explain this to me?

When the book "I kissed dating goodbye" by Joshua Harris came out, I heard all types of derogatory comments about this guy and his dating ideal. As a young, single man, he was taking the stand to not just "date around" trying to find his mate. He wasn't into the cycle of being physical with a person, entrusting your heart to them, and then breaking up if it didn't work out. He said that it only trained your heart to forever be wandering. to never commit. to not trust that God would bring the person into your life without you playing the field. At least that's the gist of what I can remember.

But the comments that some Christians had about it were along the theme of "that's ridiculous!" Was it because it's not what they did themselves? That they didn't live up to that standard which Mr. Harris was setting up for his own life? Is that why the judgements and rolling of the eyes ensued? Because someone other than them was striving for excellence?

Just curious.

Yeah, I was pretty annoyed when Jet and I were stuck in that conversation with the young person. But the main thing that kept running through our heads...and the thing we talked about after he left..."God, do I do that? Do I come across as a know-it-all? Do I deem myself worthy of playing judge and jury?" The sad truth is Yeah, I probably do.

Picture it. There is an extremely heavy person in front of you at the grocery store. They, in all seriousness, are mostly likely considered "morbidly obese". Inside their cart are two things. Yoo-Hoo chocolate drinks. And Ho-Hos. The thought that may run through my head: "Hmm...maybe if you didn't eat like that, you wouldn't look like that." It's a horrible judgement call that has come all-too-naturally before. When, in all reality, those two grocery items COULD be for a dying grandmother who's last request was to eat and drink chocolate. So this person came to get them for her. You just never know.

OR

Picture it. A rough looking tattooed man is walking towards me as I sit in my car. I think "okay, should I lock my doors?" Hello, Judgement. He looks rough, so therefore, has no moral fiber and will, hence, try to kill me? Um yeah. Once again, bigoted thought process.

The only difference? I have "matured enough" to keep my judgement inside the privacy of my heart. But the bible says: Man looks at the outward...but God looks at the heart. So ... when I'm having a private conversation in my heart, does God get physically sick to his stomach?

For the record, Todd Bentley and Cleetus are both rough looking guys. Tattoos. Body piercings. Lots of them. Yet they are both pastors. Have an obvious love for the Lord. And reap spiritual fruit (healings, salvations, ...). Pastor Cleetus has even gone on "Miami Ink"...a television show about tattoos...and preached about Jesus. His look is "out there". As is his unabashed devotion to Jesus. So what do you do with that judgement that renders you should run from people that look and dress like that...? Mhmmm. They shatter it.

So a conversation with the immature, young guy began as a frustration. But ended up being a challenge to me. To not sicken the Lord with haughty judgements that linger in my heart.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8