I joined a gym. And I actually go.

Before you congratulate me–you should know I only joined the gym for the showers. Some RV-lifers do that. We have showers in our rigs, but at the gym, the water comes through a pipe and goes away down a drain. It’s much less labor-intensive than filling and dumping tanks. And you can stand under the gym’s steaming stream as long as it takes to wash away your weariness.

I joined for the showers, but I do work out. Because I think too much about what people think, and I’m embarrassed to go straight to the showers without doing the gym stuff first. Truth is, no one would notice. People are doing their own thing, and as long as I’m not tying up the machine they want, they don’t care what I do.

No judgment here

This gym takes pride in being a comfortable, no-pressure place where anyone can belong. There are no scales for weighing in and not a lot of mirrors. Signs proclaim, “This is a Judgement Free Zone” and “You belong here.” (notice their spelling of judgment. I judge them for that.)

I enjoy a workout called the 30 Minute Express. It’s a combo of weights and cardio, and it pushes me just enough to know I’ve done something, but not enough to make me hurt for days. I recently added the stair climber to my routine. I had gone to a water park with my family and huffed and puffed my way up the stairs to the big slides. Next time, I want to talk and laugh all the way up. So. The stair climber.

At first, I could only climb for two minutes, but I’ve been working my way up to more. I was pretty proud of the six minutes I put in the other day. Then four neon letters popped up in my “workout summary.”

Gym fail

What?!? POOR? What happened to that judgment-free zone? Turns out, I’d chosen the “test” option. The machine had no idea how much I’d improved since I’d started on it a few days earlier. It only knew that the number of steps I took per minute during that test was sad. It judged my stair climbing and found it poor.

It hurt, but then it helped

My first reaction? “Wow, that’s hurtful.”

But the truth is, I have a goal. I want to be able to climb the water park stairs. More immediately, I want to make it up the paths to see the waterfalls when I go to the mountains. My climbing has to improve.

Judgment is helpful to improvement. It’s required. I don’t want a judgment-free zone, because I want to get better. I want a judgment-rich zone.

If I’m going to grow, I need to be able to discern where I am, perceive where I want to be, and understand what it will take to get there. I need a trainer. Or at least a trusted gym buddy.

Judgment gets a bad rap in the church

Some churches aspire to what my gym claims to be–a safe space to belong, a judgment-free place to grow, and a time dedicated to a 30-minute express spiritual workout delivered in a well-crafted sermon.

Some of us look for a church where we can go about our spiritual business, not get in anyone’s way, and leave without being seen.

It sounds great in theory. It sounds safe. But in seeking safety above all, are we missing one of the best parts of community in the church? Should we be looking to be rich in judgment instead of free of it?

There is bad judgment. Looking down our noses, calling ourselves better than, or ranking the sins of others as worse than? Not good. That’s being judgmental, not exercising good judgment. It’s useless and downright harmful in the church.

Good judgment, by definition, is the ability to come to a sensible conclusion. It’s discernment, horse sense, perception, sagacity, understanding, and wisdom.

Good judgment is what happens when we read the Word of God and it changes our thinking.

Good judgment, according to Paul, is what keeps us from conceit. I know from experience it keeps us from self-disparagement as well.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Romans 12:3 (ESV)

Judgment understands who God is–and knows I am who I am because of grace. With good judgment, we don’t take credit for victory over sin or walk in its shame. Sober judgment lives a redeemed life. Let’s read that verse again, worded a little differently.

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

Romans 12:3 (THE MSG)

“It is important that we not misinterpret ourselves.” That’s powerful, isn’t it? God brings the good. Good judgment understands God and self.

Where do we go from here?

So my fellow travelers, want to go with me? Let’s type “judgment” into our GPS, and see where it takes us. I’m going to enter it into my favorite Bible app too, because I want the Word of God to keep me on track. Will you come alongside me on this road and honk at me with a comment or reaction? I’d love to hear what God is showing you about judgment.