God judges us through the eyes of grace

"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." 1 Corinthians 4: 3-4 (NRSV)

 Each morning when I get up out of bed, I am aware that I will be judged by others. This is what drives me to shower, get dressed, and try to make myself appropriate for the activities of the day. I worry that I will fail to be the wife that I should be, the mother that I should be, the employee that I should be, or the friend that I should be.

My main goal is not to please others, although the confession in the paragraph above seems to indicate that pleasing others is the motivation to start my day. My main goal is for Christ to live in me. If this is my goal, then why should I care so much about being appropriate for the activities of the day? Why should I care if others judge me? 

Paul says that we should not care if others judge us. Paul goes on to say that we should not even judge ourselves. Judgment belongs to the Lord, and only to the Lord. The judgment that I receive from others may make me aware of my place in society, but the judgment I receive from God gives me a place in His kingdom. 

God judges us through the eyes of grace, and He sees Christ. Christ in us! I want Christ in me to be my motivation for getting dressed each morning, and making myself appropriate for the day. I need to be aware that others will judge me, but I want them to see Christ in me.