Judged by a label
For most of my married life I have been what used to be known as a housewife. I was also a stay at home mom and now I call myself a homemaker. Those labels aren’t necessarily bad, but they can have negative connotations. Housewives have often been portrayed in movies and television as lazy women who wear sweats and no makeup – oh wait, that’s what I do now! (Minus the lazy part – most of the time.) The label does bring to mind some not so nice images and the resulting judgments.
When we accept mischaracterizations, we often accept the judging that comes with them. Many of the labels given to God have been in place for generations, having been passed along over time and accepted without much question. A lot of folks have taken his measure and found him wanting, and thus the misconceptions continue.
One such description is judge, which is fair, as he is the judge of all mankind. But as with housewife, the word can come with negative emotions and connotations. How often do we hear of kind, loving, gracious, fair judges? Good judges can be found, but a lot of people believe in the crooked, mean, self-serving and unfeeling stereotypes. Because of guilt and fear, no one wants to go before any judge, let alone one who is strict or unmerciful.
Lucky for us – all of us who have ever lived – God breaks the stereotype. He is loving, kind, gracious and merciful. He has already judged the whole human race in Jesus and has declared us forgiven, redeemed and worthy of salvation.
It’s OK to use the word judge to describe God, as long as we put good in front of it. And while we’re at it, let’s put a few positive adjectives in front of homemaker too!
Study by Tammy Tkach
First published on 13 September 2022, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
About the writer:
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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