Song: “Stay In Your Lane” by B. Devon

Good morning, family.

I hope you’re doing well this morning.

I just got back from our annual family and friends cruise, and I tell you, there is something special about spending time with family and friends, especially those friends who have become family.

There is something about fellowship, laughing together, eating together, talking together, and simply enjoying one another that refreshes the spirit and the soul.

But while I was on that cruise ship, I noticed something that got me thinking.

There were thousands of people on that ship.

People from different places and different countries.

Young people and older people.

Tall people and short people.

Big people and small people.

People dressed differently.

People with different personalities, cultures, backgrounds, and ways of enjoying themselves.

And somehow, thousands of different people managed to get on the same ship and enjoy the journey together.

But I also noticed something else.

Sometimes we spend an awful lot of time watching other people.

“Look at what that person is wearing.”

“They’re too big to be wearing that.”

“They’re too skinny.”

“Look at what they’re eating.”

“They don’t need to go back to that buffet.”

And I started thinking: Why does it bother us?

If that person goes back to the buffet for another plate, what does that have to do with us?

If somebody wears something we wouldn’t wear, how does that affect our day?

If somebody’s body doesn’t look the way we think it ought to look, why do we feel the need to comment on it?

Sometimes we need to learn a very simple lesson: Stay in your lane.

Romans 14:4 asks a powerful question:

“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?”

That’s a question worth carrying with us today.

Who am I to judge somebody else’s servant?

That person you are criticizing belongs to God just like you do.

And here’s something else we ought to remember: We don’t know their story.

We don’t know what they’ve been through.

We don’t know what they’re struggling with.

We don’t know what victory they may have already won.

We don’t know whether the person we’re criticizing for being overweight has already lost 50 pounds.

We don’t know whether the person we’re calling too skinny is dealing with something we know absolutely nothing about.

We don’t know whether the person dressed differently from us finally found enough confidence to stop worrying about everybody else’s opinion.

We see a moment.

God sees a life.

And sometimes we judge an entire person based on the five seconds we observed them.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:3:

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

In other words, before I spend all my energy inspecting somebody else’s lane, maybe I ought to pay attention to mine.

I’ve got enough work to do on Hollie.

I’ve got enough attitudes of my own to correct.

I’ve got enough spiritual growing to do.

I’ve got enough weaknesses to work on.

I’ve got enough assignments God has given me.

I don’t have time to spend my day policing somebody else’s plate, somebody else’s clothes, somebody else’s body, or somebody else’s life.

And understand me: staying in your lane doesn’t mean we stop caring about people.

Love sometimes requires us to speak.

If somebody we love is headed toward destruction, we shouldn’t just stand there silently and call it “staying in our lane.”

But there’s a difference between loving concern and unnecessary criticism.

Love says, “How can I help you?”

Judgment says, “Look at them.”

Love speaks when something needs to be said.

Judgment speaks because we simply have an opinion.

And not every opinion we have needs to be expressed.

Maybe that’s our lesson for this morning:

Everybody on the ship doesn’t have to look like you for you to enjoy the cruise together.

And maybe that’s something our world needs to remember.

We’re all traveling through this life together.

Different backgrounds.

Different experiences.

Different shapes and sizes.

Different cultures.

Different personalities.

Different struggles.

Different stories.

And instead of spending so much time pointing out what’s wrong with everybody else, perhaps we ought to ask:

Am I loving people well?

Am I showing grace?

Am I treating people with dignity?

Am I taking care of what God has assigned to me?

Because here’s the truth:

It’s hard to walk faithfully in your own lane when you’re constantly looking sideways at everybody else’s.

So today, let’s give people some grace.

Let them enjoy their meal.

Let them wear their outfit.

Let them laugh loudly.

Let them enjoy their vacation.

Let them be human.

And unless God has given you a responsibility to intervene, sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is smile, keep walking, and stay in your lane.

Because I’ve discovered something:

When I spend less time judging everybody else, I have a whole lot more time to work on me.

And that’s enough work to keep me busy for the rest of my life.

Let’s start our day together remembering the words of Romans 14:4:

“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?”

Family, stay in your lane, give somebody some grace today, and let’s make this a great day.

God bless you.