You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Romans 2:1

I remember when the fireman walked the class through what to do when you catch on fire: stop, drop, and roll. I also remember, in the library of my elementary school, thinking, Why are these kids not paying attention? This is really important and can save lives! We should all listen. Why won’t the teachers “shush” these talkers in the corner? I can’t hear. How annoying!! 

We all get annoyed, and it happens at work, too. You know…That person that’s always late, that colleague who clips their nails at work, the one that everyone knows is such a rule-follower that one mis-spelled word thwarts a whole meeting into chaos. 

I’ve noticed more and more that those things that drive me nuts are usually the things I do myself. I’m not the first to notice it–the Bible noticed this in Romans 2:1. Whenever we have that hint of “oh no, not again,” that inner critic can become the jolt to do three things.

The first is to stop making excuses for our own behaviors. 

Then, drop the judgment. 

You may know this third one: Roll. Let grace roll over the situation, so that you too may experience grace the next time.

While this may not be a blanket statement for total wrong-doing and sin, it gives me permission to stop, drop, and roll those little things that aren’t really sin. Romans says to let it go, because by judging others we are judging ourselves. I can’t be annoyed at others when I’m too busy being annoyed at myself! Stopping, dropping, and rolling is the way to get past that moment when others annoy you.

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© 2022, Mollie Bond. All rights reserved. Originally published at www.molliebond.org.