Pre-judging

"Instead of God being on the side of our prejudices, he is deliberately wiping them out. It’s part of our moral education to have our prejudices pierced straight through by his providence." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, October 23

Chambers puts a finger on an important work God is doing in our lives to teach us how to walk by the Spirit and not the flesh. He correctly uses the term prejudice because his writings (circa early 1900's) predate decades of cultural conditioning to make the word prejudice synonymous with racism - it's not. The word prejudice comes from the Latin term praeiudicium, meaning "prior judgment," which combines prae (before) and iudicium (judgment). Prejudice is prejudging so I will use that word to side-step our prejudice on the word prejudice. Prejudging stems from a basic human need to categorize and make quick judgments, often due to discomfort with ambiguity and uncertainty. Our previous experiences help us understand and interact with new people and adapt to new circumstances. We prejudge everyday, all day and it is healthy to do so.

The problem with prejudging is our lack of self-awareness and when it is accompanied by bitterness or fear toward a group of people or certain situations because of a painful past experience. Some prejudge strong male authority figures because of a bad experience with their father or a absent father growing up. Rarely does this type of prejudging get much exposure but it's actually far more debilitating than a racial prejudice simply because strong men are everywhere, often in leadership positions because of their God-given temperament and calling. Others have prejudices to close, interconnected relationships because of a high need for control in an attempt to avoid painful experiences or rejection from the past. Some people may have negative attitudes towards churches for "fear of being hurt", often based on only a few bad experiences many years ago. It is impossible to have close relationships without being hurt but we proceed knowing the rewards far outweigh the risks.

The Lord puts his finger on a particular area we are prejudging when it becomes detrimental to our spiritual growth. The Lord said to the prophet Samuel when he looked favorably on Jesse's oldest son, Eliab, as the future king. "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). The Bible gives us insight into Samuel's thoughts as he was prejudging. His thought process went something like this: Israel's current King Saul was tall, most heathen kings were tall (term "king-sized" describes a real phenomenon), therefore the Lord would naturally choose the tallest of Jesse's sons. It was a reasonable conclusion but completely wrong in this circumstance. God chose the smallest, youngest and least significant son - David.  Walking in the Spirt means we must be willing to look beyond our past experiences, the very basis of prejudging, and hear what the Lord is saying right now about what we are experiencing. What areas of prejudging is God pointing out in you? May the Lord give us courage to be led by the Spirit of God that we live as full sons of God (Romans 8:14)