Growing up, my mum taught me and my siblings to be very careful before we spoke when it came to talking to others. She said we needed to ask the questions:
1 Is what you have to say true?
2 Is what you have to say necessary?
3 Is what you have to say out of love?
This is something that has stuck with me for decades. It is a great way for me to check myself if I am questioning whether I should say something. It is part of developing healthy relationships. This kind of thinking can be a part of building each other up (mutual edification) that we read about in Romans 14:19.
In this day and age, people are judged on a daily basis, multiple times a day. Judgment can lead to people developing self esteem issues, mental health issues, and other serious long term problems. We need to stop judging each other. We should do/say/eat what we feel is right before the Lord, and not impose that on anyone else. Some things are right for one person and not necessarily right for another, so no one needs to judge another. We should ask ourselves before speaking and judging: "is it necessary?" Is it really so important that something needs to be said?
One of my old pastors often says "Let's major on the majors and minor on the minors". One of the majors is that we have our security and identity in Christ. Whether we live or we die we belong to him. We should stand firm in our faith and the knowledge that we belong to him. If we belong to Christ, then we should be a reflection of His love for us and others. Let's not get caught up in judgment over issues that don't matter, but let's demonstrate love, truth, and helpfulness through our words and actions.
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