If we are faithless, He remains faithful,
for He cannot disown Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 NIV)

We so easily fall into the trap of religion where we judge people by what they do or don’t do and the choices they make.

The reason we judge others is it gives us a reason to not show mercy or kindness. Yet that is so contrary to how God treats us, who remains faithful even if we are faithless.

We do not serve a pagan god who requires rules and regulations to please or appease him.

God’s judgement towards us has been appeased by Christ’s blood shed on the cross.

Whatever thoughts or struggles I may have with someone, I am learning to first look at myself and see if there is a personal message about my own shortcomings and poor choices.

As I have dealt with my personal struggles in this area, I keep seeing a vision of God’s mountains of mercy that surround us. And as we walk through the valley that winds between the mountains of provision, healing and blessings, may we be reminded that we are walking in the same valley as our fellow-man.

We must overlook the struggles and failures of others and look up to the mountains of mercy that surround us.

Our Father God is full of mercy and grace.  When we ruffle each other’s feathers or struggle with unkind words or with memories that haunt us from time to time, we must look up to these mountains.

When we are offended, may we see a reflection of our own fears, insecurities and struggles instead of the offender’s faults.

When we point our judging fingers, let us not allow the choices of others, political or spiritual, cloud the view we have of them. We must look past people’s faults and see the image of God in them no matter how many times they try to change it or remove it.

And when we drink from the streams of living water that flow by us on our journey through the valley, I pray we see the reflection, not of ourselves, but of our fellow-man — the one who is struggling to believe they are worthy.  The ones, like us, who second guess themselves all the time.

But often we act like we are serving a God who is judging us and that is a lie.  Fear of punishment cannot be our motivation for doing anything for our God.

Our God holds space for us all the time. He is faithful when we are faithless and similarly we must ‘hold’ space for others. Holding space means just being there, showing up, and listening without judgement and trusting the person to figure things out for themselves.

It may feel like we’re doing nothing, but this is unconditional love. We do it, because this is how God treats us.

Fear and unbelief can block our view of the mountains of mercy surrounding us and we know that is happening when we judge others.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber.”(Psalm 121:1 NKJ)