Can I Show Good Judgment Without Being Judgmental? [Episode 304]

show good judgment judgmental summer sizzle

It’s hot out there, but the podcast has been even hotter over the past few weeks as we’ve featured your most shared, hottest episodes on the 4:13! We’re calling these episodes our Summer Sizzle, and if you’ve missed any, be sure to go back and listen to them here.

Otherwise, get ready for another great throwback episode, this time to Episode 37: “Can I Show Good Judgment Without Being Judgmental?” Because none of us want to be “judgy,” but we do want to show good judgment, right?

When You Need to Be Cradled in God’s Compassion

When I was pregnant with our first son, I thought that baby would never be born! I was so late delivering him that I actually dreamed I was an old woman — gray hair and all — still pregnant, panicking in my doctor’s office, begging him to do something!

Weird dream, I know. The point is, near the end of a pregnancy, a mama feels worn out. It’s easy to feel like the whole thing is lasting just a little too long, and that’s even when the baby comes on his due date!

Sixteen very long, swollen, puffy, unattractive, exhausting days after we expected our son Clayton to be born, the doctor used a steady stream of Pitocin to coax him out of the womb and into the world. I was so relieved!

Funny how those late arrivals seem to take their time and run late even when they’re teenagers. Too bad a Pitocin drip doesn’t work on them!

There is a reason a baby is supposed to stay in his mama’s womb for 40 weeks — he needs that time to grow, develop and be nourished. A baby born prematurely is at risk and a baby who is very late in arrival is at risk, too.

How to Know If You’re Being Judgmental or Showing Good Judgment

“She shouldn’t have done that.” “How could she think that?” “I can’t believe she actually went there!” “I would never do that…”

Sound familiar? Anyone ever whispered phrases like that in your ear? Or, have you ever muttered them under your breath?

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I’ve heard that kind of stuff and said that junk and thought it too! When it comes to being judgmental, I admit, I have blown it!

What Gutsy Really Looks Like

Her name is Sharon. I met her in South Bend, Indiana.

Sharon signed up as a volunteer to help at Fresh Grounded Faith a few months ago. Everything was going well until a week before the event. Her husband had a heart attack. Suddenly, without warning, he was gone.

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I didn’t expect to meet Sharon after hearing her story. I would have completely understood why she would have chosen not to volunteer or even attend the event with such a recent, life-altering loss.

Eli Took a Gutsy Dare

Eli travels with us to our Fresh Grounded Faith conferences, and is such a HOOT! We love him. He is a representative from Compassion International, one of my all-time favorite causes and one we like to talk about at FGF.

I surprised him on stage with an opportunity … okay, a dare.

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I asked him, in front of all the women so he couldn’t say no, if the ladies sponsored 50 kids, would he wear one of our Gutsy Girl tee shirts on stage?

The women roared with approval. He reluctantly agreed.

Well, since that went so well, I decided to step up the wager. I asked him, if the women sponsor 60 women, would he stand on stage in his new shirt and sing for us?

The women roared even louder. I’m afraid the poor guy had no choice but to agree!