Prior to Departure - Devotions on Judgement by Emma and Kiarra

For our devotion, we wanted to highlight the significance of how much judgement can impact others because we believe that everyone can learn from other cultures and grow as one, loving community.

In Romans 2:1 - “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.” This is a verse that warns against judging others when we are also guilty of sin. Paul is addressing religious people who thought they were better than others because they had the law, but he shows that God will judge everyone based on their works, not their status. Paul is saying that we are all accountable to God and we all need his mercy. This verse addresses the issue of judgmental attitudes among individuals and advises against passing judgement on others because doing so will condemn oneself.

 In the DR, we can use this verse and remind ourselves that we shouldn't judge others because we also have issues that we need to face ourselves and may likely share similar flaws. Just because we might have more material things than the people in the DR but that doesn’t mean we are better than them. Nonetheless, they may not have the same opportunities or resources as we do but, in the end, we are all people. 

 A message from this is that instead of critiquing people in the DR, we can aim to focus on our own actions and creating a positive community for each other and the people we meet. 

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The second verse we chose to highlight is Matthew 7:1-2 - “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.”

This verse again advises against the act of judgement in warning that those who judge others will themselves face judgement. It implies that a critical attitude towards others invites a similar attitude upon us and overall, leads towards a broken relationship with us and the people who live in the DR.  Now because our mission in the DR is to assist and teach about God, we must refrain from this broken relationship due to judgement and move towards compassion through acting as God would want us to. Instead, we need to realize that since we are unfamiliar with the environment, we must be curious instead of judgmental.  

We need to realize that the environment is different from our daily lives in Canada, yes, but we are there to spread God’s Word and aim to be kind and open to new experiences since the people in the DR may have certain opinions on us because we are strangers. Therefore, in the DR, we must try our best not to judge but instead, have empathy and enter a new environment with an open mind.  

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Overall, our message from our devotion is that as we go enter new surroundings at the Dominican Republic, we must not judge but instead, be curious and focus more on understanding rather than immediate judgement. As students who are sharing the gospel and making new connections, we must be friendly and acknowledge that lives around the world differ from ours and we must be grateful for what we receive at the DR and know that we are all strangers at first.