What Gives Us the Right to Judge?

     Josh Duggar.  Just hearing his name this last week has stirred up all kinds of conversations, emotions, confusion.  Even June Boo Boo weighed in on the subject.  (Yeah, like she's an authority.)  And I completely fail to see how the actions of a grown woman who has chosen to date convicted child molesters has a right to say anything about anything or anyone, let alone the rest of us having to listen to her.
      But let's get back on track here before I end up saying more than I should.  And yes.  I have prayed for June.  First of all, let me say that God does not condone sin.  Never has.  Never will.  But God does forgive sin.  And when He forgives, He forgets.  While Josh Duggar acted inexcusably as he said, isn't all sin behaving inexcusable?   We can blame it on the devil.  And yes, he does tempt us.  But we choose whether or not we will follow his lead.
      Child molestation is wrong.  There is no excuse for it.  But so is lying, stealing, cheating, murder, knowingly not filing your taxes correctly, driving over the speed limit, gossip and yes, even judging others who do these things.  Anything there on the list sound familiar to you? 
     While I don't condone what Josh Duggar did, he asked God to forgive him and God did just that.  He asked his 'victims' to forgive him and....they did.  So this coming out in the media and everyone judging Josh is just as wrong, I believe, in God's eyes as the sin everyone is judging Josh for.
     Now that being said, you may wonder why I feel like I need to weigh in on the subject.  Well guess what.  I was a victim myself many, many years ago.  I know how it feels to be the one victimized.  I know how it feels to not be believed and to feel like you are dirty and have done something wrong when you haven't.  I know how it feels, all these years later as an adult, to remember those feelings.  To have the random thought of long ago just pop up for no reason.  To deal with unwanted memories.
     It took me years to discover all the truth.  And, you know, I don't think I really know it all yet and that's just fine.  But, I understand that many people who molest kids were victims themselves prior to their actions.  It wasn't until I realized that that I was completely able to forgive with compassion.  Do I hate who did things to me?  No.  Do I forgive?  Yes.  It still affects me today.  But yes.  I forgive. 
     And I understand that's what happened in the Duggar family.  God forgave.  They forgave.  They grew closer to God and to each other as a family.  Just like with any sin, Jesus died on the cross for what Josh did.  When Josh came to the Lord and asked for forgiveness, immediately his sin was washed away by the blood of Jesus.
     Jesus said, when the woman was brought to Him in adultery, for anyone who was there who had not sinned to throw the first stone at her.  He didn't say for anyone who hadn't committed adultery to start throwing rocks.  He said anyone without sin.  And you know what happened.  All of her accusers left.  Jesus forgave her and her life was changed forever.
     Now if Jesus doesn't condemn Josh Duggar anymore, what gives us the right?  Are we better than Josh?  More importantly, are we better than Jesus?  I'm not.  And the media isn't either.  Their handling of this situation is absolutely disgusting.  Those girls are now more victimized than ever before.  In fact, the entire family, including innocent little children who were not even born when that took place,  are now victimized because someone took private juvinile records and exposed them.  Jesus washed it away.  But the media didn't care.  Still doesn't.
     The fact that this situation happened all those years ago is something the Duggar family will have to deal with for the rest of their lives.  They knew when they chose to make their lives public that this could come out some day.  Do I agree with every choice they make?  No.  But I don't have to.  And they don't have to agree with me either.  Except for the fact the Jesus died on the cross for all of us.  For me, for you, for our friends, family, enemies and even for those in the media who thought themselves better than God when they exposed past forgiven sin.
    I've never tried to claim my life was perfect.  I've done stupid things.  I've sinned.  If you've read very many of my blog posts you know that my family has been through some difficult situations and I don't deny nor do I try to hide those things.   The decision of the Duggar family to not tell publicly what had happened is something I'm sure they prayed about.  I can't condemn them for not coming out about this earlier.  That's between them and God.  Again, what I do know, is that I don't have the right to judge them any more than anyone has the right to judge me.
     Like the Duggars, I choose to forgive.  I forgive those who have wronged me.  Do I sugarcoat things?  I try not to.  Do I think on whatever is good and true etc like the Word tells us to do?  I certainly try.  And forgiving past wrongs done to me is a part of that.  Some may say I'm looking at life through rose colored glasses.  But I don't agree.  The tint on the glasses I see through.......that tint was made by the blood of my Savior.  Isn't that the way we are supposed to see things?
     Now.  What gives us the right to judge?  Nothing.  That's God's job.  And once the blood of His Son has been applied, there's no judgement necessary.  Do you know Him?  Would you like to?