Romans 2

"Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one."
Romans 2: 1 (the Message)

Have you ever been casually reading the Bible, and then suddenly had the feeling that God has just hit you in the face with a frying pan? Well everyone, that just happened. Look at me, you might as well call me Critical Kandace today (alliteration, oh la la!) . I have days sometimes where I have the mentality of an American Idol judge, and it's audition week, and everyone sucks. However, this will obviously get me nowhere. I'm only making myself accessible to more judgment, and not by people, by God. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be judged by a high school senior any day than by the creator of the universe.

My solution is a new daily prayer. I'll be honest, I get nervous asking God for certain attributes that I know I need. For example, "Dear God, please give me patience." Suddenly, the next day turns into lolly-gag world, and you're the only person in a hurry. However, I'm willing to give this one a try. My new prayer today is, "God, please help me to see people the way you see them. When I see others, help me to see the love and compassion you feel for them, rather than worldly, unnecessary judgements."

This next verse in chapter 2 is one that I love. It's so simple, yet it really means a lot to me.

"For God does not show favoritism."
Romans 2:11 (NIV)

So simple! So easy! A six word verse that allows me to take a huge, deep breath and relax. The fact that God doesn't show favoritism has always been a hard concept for me to grasp. Maybe it's because I've been know to show favoritism (especially in coffee brands :)). I'm not sure why I can't get a hold of it, but the fact that it's there makes me smile. God loves the man sitting in prison just as much as he loves the world renown pastor. The Father in Heaven that created us all thinks we're all something special. He gave all of us talents and abilities to do his will, whether we've figured them out or not. So how can we even consider judging one another? We're all the same.

So my prayer today is that we see each other through the eyes of our beautiful Creator, because he sees our greatness.