A valuable lesson I learned many years ago: your personal convictions are not always going to be mine, and my personal convictions are not always going to be everybody else’s. Are there Biblical convictions that everyone should live by? Absolutely. But, I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about, for example, dresses vs jeans; makeup vs no makeup; cutting, perming, dying, curling, braiding, big bows and bling clips vs none of those things; what is not advantageous to my walk with the Lord vs what is not advantageous to YOUR walk with the Lord. You may be able to participate in something that I cannot. You may be able to watch something that I cannot.
The additional lessons I learned many years ago: don’t judge someone else’s convictions. Don’t police others’ convictions. Don’t fall into pride because you’re convicted of something someone else isn’t convicted of, or because you’re *not* convicted of something someone else is convicted of. Don’t fall into the lie that you are somehow “more holy”, or “more free” or “more redeemed” because someone else’s convictions don’t match yours!
We all will stand before God for ourselves and ourselves alone. At the end of the day, how we OBEY God is what speaks of true holiness and freedom. Nothing more. That’s what ultimately sets us apart from the world.
