I can’t believe it.  I have been stewing all day trying to resist the urge to write today.  And now here I am.  I guess my urge finally wore me down.  I can remember a time that resisting the urge to write was pretty easy.  In high school I hated writing (I know "hated" is a strong word, but it accurately describes the moment).  I resisted the urge to write.  If I had to then I took the easy way out and got the "Cliff’s Notes" for a book and went from there.  In college I started out as a computer science major and then switched a year later to accounting.  Both majors are ones where we did not write a lot of papers.  Then I got to seminary and writing was the norm.  I guess I knew that going in; especially answering the call to be a pastor I knew I would be writing a lot ("a lot" is a major understatement).  So all of this brings us to today.  A guy who spent much of his life resisting the urge to write is a pastor writing sermons and newsletter articles and now a blog.  Talk about irony at its best. 

But one would think I could call on my past and rely on my "writing resistant" skills today…but no.  I found the urge and here I am.  The reason I fought the urge is because of what I am going to write next…<Deep breath>…people really need to leave Britney Spears alone.  Did I actually write that?  Wow!  I need to take a break from this writing thing if I am mentioning Britney Spears.  But after what I saw this morning on the "Today Show" I need to say something.  I guess that is why I have this blog; to say what is on my mind.  Because seriously, if I were to preach a sermon mentioning Britney Spears…well…let’s not go there. 

Anyway…

Ever since BS (I am using those initials so I don’t have to type "her name" anymore) had her first child, she has been under an even more focused microscope.  Recently she was plastered all over the media for being photographed driving with her child in her lap.  This morning BS was interviewed by Matt Lauer (I probably misspelled Matt’s name, but at least I don’t cringe when I type it).  When Matt asked her what she would say to those hounding her for pictures and stories she broke down in tears and basically said, "Leave me alone.  Let me have privacy.  Let me live my life."  For a brief moment I found myself feeling sorry for a person I have always seen as a bad role model for young girls (and boys for that matter).  Why is that?  Apparently it is something worth writing about if I am spending the time on it now.

We spend so much time judging people.  In the case of BS we don’t even know all the facts.  Is it ever O.K. to drive with a child in your lap? NO! But is it ever O.K. to judge someone? NO!  And that is what is being done here.  I have no clue if BS is a good mom or not.  I have no clue if BS is a good wife or not.  I can’t care about it because I don’t know her or know any real facts.  Even the people in our lives…we can’t be judging them even if we know them like the back of our hands.  The only one who has any right to judge is God alone. 

Scripture tells us to not judge anyone lest ye be judged.  But that scares no one.  It doesn’t always scare me because I judge like the next person.  I mean, I just called BS a bad role model.  I don’t care who you are, no one deserves the judgment that BS is getting.  No one!  But we do deserve any judgment that God would hand down.  Luckily we have a Savior who loves us a lot ("a lot" is a major, major understatement).  Jesus died so that our judgment sheet would be stamped "SAVED"  Let’s leave any judging to God and I promise not to write any more about BS.  Deal?  Good…deal.  Amen! -EDH-