First Impressions
What gets me is that we are so judgemental! Take Susan Boyle for example, the woman from Britain’s got talent. When she walked on stage we all thought ‘Oh, here we go again, another fruit loop set on publicly humiliating herself’. And then she sang! She was so good that even Simon Cowel gave her a standing ovation when she stopped singing (not before rolling his eyes at the camera and putting his head in his hands). We all felt SO guilty! I know I did. We judged her and summed her up in our heads without giving her a chance.
This got me thinking. What is it that makes us so judgemental about one another? Why are we programmed to form sometimes very harsh opinions of someone without ever meeting or speaking to them?
People form new opinions everyday about someone they see. So there’s no escaping being judged! Relationships are formed on opinions we create in just 3 seconds and it can be impossible to reverse or undo the impressions you create. And this scares us.
If you’ve got a job interview, for example, the first bit of advice you get from your mother or partner is usually “make a good first impression”. We form our opinions on someone’s appearance, body language, demeanour, mannerisms, and how they are dressed all within a few seconds. Susan Boyle stood no chance then in her tan tights, dolly shoes and flowery dress that seemed to have come straight out of the 80’s!
If you are looking for advice to clinch that new job then one interview tip website tells you to do the following:
1. Present yourself appropriately
2. Be on time
3. Be yourself
4. Be at ease
5. Express individuality
6. Be open and confident
7. Be positive
8. Be courteous and attentive
(http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/FirstImpressions.htm)
Can you imagine being sat outside an interview room, waiting, thinking all 8 of those things as well as remembering all the important bits of information you will need to say in order to sound like you know what you’re talking about. The butterflies make you feel sick. We know we are being judged and we do everything to please the person in a position of ‘authority’.
The person in a position of ‘authority’ judges you. Who are they to judge? We are all equal. We are all equally dirty of sin. So much in fact that Gods only son came to earth to die for us because we are all sinners.
Who are we really judging when we form our opinions of somebody? Them or ourselves? We are judging them against our own views therefore comparing them to ourselves. Is it possible that the more judgemental people like Mr Simon Cowel are really quite insecure and need to find purpose in their own lives by making themselves better than you? Well then I ask who is better than you. Who is below you? Who are you below? The answer is nobody. We are all equally shameful, equally human, and equally sinful. The fact that we judge people, the fact that everybody would judge another Susan Boyle character in a heartbeat is the actually reason we are all the same. We all judge others on our own levels of acceptability and our own ideas of what ‘Normal’ is. Sometimes we need to take a look in the mirror and ask the questions to ourselves.
Social acceptance is something we all crave but really the only acceptance that will never let you down, will never forsake you and will always be there for you if you choose it is the love and acceptance of our God. Accepting Jesus as our saviour and trusting in him to heel your sins will fill you with love and acceptance from the only one you should be seeking acceptance from. God. A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24.
