I read a passage this week that, despite being recorded way before the age of computers, seems  totally written to us bloggers. Will ya’ll forgive me a liberal paraphrase?

“Dear blogging sisters, don’t be partial! For, if a well-known blogger with a professional head shot and a custom graphics visits your blog, and you fawn over them, responding to their comment and following up on twitter and facebook, and–that same day–a smaller blogger, maybe someone you’ve never even heard of, visits your blog, and you don’t even take the time to respond, aren’t you showing partiality—playing favorites? You are judging someone’s worth by their online presence, and this. is. so. wrong.”

How’d I do? Did you recognize James 2: 1-3? Are you as convicted as I am? 

See—I’m the chief of sinners in this area. I inventory outward appearances and rank a person’s worth faster than you can type your favorite password. Whether online or in real life, I am quick to don the gown and wig of a judge and sentence people with my indifference if they don’t meet my standard.

But did you catch that—this makes me a judge. And James goes on to say that judging, or partiality, is a SIN, just like murder and adultery.

Ooops.

Guess we’d better deal with this.

I believe us smaller bloggers get caught in the trap of partiality so easily because we’re stuck on quantifying our own validity and worth. Instead of resting in the calling God has given us, and willingly embracing our impact to whomever comes our way, we measure, gauge and compare, and generally use those same spectacles to set a value on the bloggers around us.

Here are my steps to setting down our judge’s gavel and seeing our fellow bloggers from the right perspective.

• Call it what it is. Partiality and judging are a sin—not just a distasteful habit. We need to repent and confess, sisters. Good news is, though He is the true judge, He delights to show mercy. He will be faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all our ungracious self-centeredness.
• See ourselves as Christ sees us. He has appointed us not as judges but as servants. We must ask Him to plant our true calling deep in our hearts to give us the proper foundation for how we view and interact with each other online–and in real life!
• See our fellow bloggers as Christ sees them. In your mind, strip that big blogger of all her perfect tweets, her gorgeous blog design and her huge platform. And do your other friend the same favor—overlook the blurry avatar, grammar glitch, and lack of a custom domain. Zoom in on their heart–that’s what God says really counts.

Will you join me, sisters? Let’s ignore the jewels and fine robes of the online world and embrace each other as Christ does–without partiality. Then we’ll be free to focus on what brings us together—our passions and our love for God–and fellowship and work together for His kingdom.

How can we live this out practically, gals? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

More from this series by Trina Holden:

This post originally appeared on the Allume blog in 2012.
Read the original comments on the archived version.