Radically Happy

Write a blog post in the style of Andy Stanley on “Better than Judging: How Grace Cures Evil When I #DropMyStone” using Matthew 7:1-5

Prompt to ChatGPT

Judging is easy, isn’t it? It’s almost instinctual. We see something wrong, something broken, something that doesn’t line up with our sense of right and wrong, and our first response is to point it out. We’re quick to call out the speck in someone else’s eye, all while ignoring the log in our own. It feels justified, doesn’t it? After all, isn’t it our duty to stand up for what’s right?

But Jesus, in His typical counterintuitive fashion, turns this idea upside down. In Matthew 7:1-5, He tells us:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Jesus isn’t just calling us out for being hypocrites. He’s showing us a better way—a way that’s better than judging, a way that has the power to cure the very evil we’re so eager to condemn. That way is grace.

The Temptation to Judge

We live in a world that’s full of judgment. It’s everywhere. Social media is littered with it. News outlets thrive on it. Conversations are colored by it. We judge people’s motives, their actions, their beliefs, their mistakes—sometimes even their successes. And let’s be honest: it feels good to judge, doesn’t it? It feels good to be on the right side of something. But here’s the problem with judging: it doesn’t actually change anything. In fact, it often makes things worse.

When we judge, we’re not just identifying a problem; we’re positioning ourselves above someone else. We’re saying, “I’m better than you. I’m more righteous, more moral, more enlightened.” And that attitude? It doesn’t bring healing. It brings division.

The Power of Grace

Now, let’s contrast that with grace. Grace doesn’t ignore the problem. It doesn’t pretend that sin doesn’t exist. But grace responds to the problem in a radically different way. Grace says, “I see your sin, and I love you anyway. I see your failure, and I’m here to help you up.” Grace acknowledges the wrong but offers a path to redemption.

When Jesus tells us to take the plank out of our own eye first, He’s inviting us to approach others with humility. He’s inviting us to recognize our own flaws, our own failures, and our own desperate need for grace. And when we do that, something amazing happens: we start to see people differently. Instead of seeing them as enemies to be judged, we see them as fellow travelers on this journey of life—people who, like us, need grace.

And here’s the thing about grace: it’s transformative. Grace doesn’t just cover sin; it changes hearts. It changes people from the inside out. Grace has the power to do what judgment never can—it can cure evil.

Dropping the Stone

You might be familiar with the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). The religious leaders brought her to Jesus, ready to stone her for her sin. But what does Jesus do? He bends down and writes in the dirt. Then He stands up and says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And one by one, they drop their stones and walk away.

Jesus doesn’t condone her sin, but He also doesn’t condemn her. Instead, He extends grace. And it’s that grace that has the power to change her life.

The same is true for us. When we’re tempted to judge, to pick up a stone and throw it at someone else, we need to stop and remember our own need for grace. And when we drop our stone, we create space for grace to work. We create space for healing, for reconciliation, for transformation.

A Better Way

So, what if, instead of judging, we chose grace? What if, instead of pointing out the speck in someone else’s eye, we took a good hard look at our own hearts? What if we extended the same grace to others that we so desperately need ourselves?

Jesus offers us a better way—a way that’s not about condemning but about redeeming. A way that’s not about pointing fingers but about extending hands. A way that’s not about judging but about loving.

When we drop our stones, we’re not just letting go of judgment. We’re embracing grace. And that grace? It’s powerful. It has the power to cure evil, to heal brokenness, and to transform lives.

So the next time you’re tempted to judge, remember this: Grace is better. Grace is stronger. Grace is transformative. And when you #DropMyStone, you’re not just choosing to withhold judgment—you’re choosing to let grace do what only grace can do.

Let’s be a community that chooses grace over judgment, that chooses to drop our stones and extend the love of Christ to a world that so desperately needs it.