Firstly, God does bring judgment as He is perfectly just. So, know that I’m NOT saying something that’s contrary to biblical truth.
What I’m talking about is a specific definition of the word that doesn’t focus on true justice - like a judge - but something else.
Vocabulary.com defines it like this:

Judgmental is a negative word to describe someone who often rushes to judgment without reason. The adjective judgmental describes someone who forms lots of opinions — usually harsh or critical ones — about lots of people. Judgmental types are not open-minded or easygoing.

What we’re talking about here is someone who is basically the opposite of being just. Someone who is judging people without logic, or a sense of fairness, and who enjoys being harsh.
If you were raised in a region, culture, or religious environment that made God out to be like this, it can be hard to feel loved by Him, right? ‘Cause it’s kind of a losing battle. You can't really please someone like this.
BUT - the good news is that THIS IS NOT GOD.
This is not who He is - and I can say that confidently and emphatically for two reasons.

One, this is not the God we see in the Bible. (And if you’ve been taught that it is, you’ve had bad teaching.)
And two, this is not the God that I’ve personally experienced for over two decades.

Let’s look at 2 things that prove this. (These aren’t the only two. But they’re pretty big ones that are hard to argue with.)

AND - Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be tortured and to die a gruesome death for you.
This truth can’t be ignored. It changes everything - and is the basis for logically revealing things that aren’t true or aligned with the Bible.
Note: TV and movies have made us dull to violence, so sometimes we don’t really take this in.
Ladies, let’s be honest. We dream of that knight in shining armor who’s willing to lay down his life for us. (Even if we’re kick-butt women.)
And that’s exactly what Jesus did. He. Died. For. Us. To save us from the so-called “bad guys” of sin and the resulting separation from God.
And this was God’s plan since the fall happened back in Eden. In Genesis 3:15 when God says: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

He’s speaking about Jesus here.
Not only that, the entire Bible is basically about Jesus. That’s the overarching theme:

The need of Jesus (why we need Him to come)
The foreshadowing of Jesus (which is why He’s referring to previous scripture and prophecies during His ministry)
Jesus being here on earth
And our work until He comes back to bring the overarching story to a close

By the way, if you’ve been taught that the Old Testament can be ignored…that it’s “old news” being that Jesus arrived in the New Testament…that’s wrong.
Again, the whole Bible carries the story of Jesus. And there are a ton of examples of specific events or things in the Old Testament that foreshadowed Jesus and what He came to do.
This is why a church or religion that does NOT focus on Jesus is going to get a lot of things wrong. And there’s going to be a lot of things off - even harmful - as a result.
But to bring this back to our focus of this point…what I just described (on God’s part) includes: planning, compassion, love. … Doesn’t sound like someone whose aim is to only be harsh, impossibly difficult, and highly critical, right? Quite the opposite.

Jonah: God tasked Him with something and he ran away.
Moses: God tasked Him with freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and Moses replies by giving God reasons as to why He’s not qualified.
The Israelites: After God frees His people, using numerous miracles to do so, they grumble and protest against Him even as He’s miraculously providing for their every need.
David: He was called “a man after God’s own heart.” But he ended up sleeping with another man's wife and then murdering that man to cover up the adultery and resulting pregnancy.

I could go on and on, right? There’s not one example of someone in the Bible getting it 100% right. Because it’s about fallen, imperfect humans in a fallen world. And God knows this.
Yes, there are times when His justice occurs - like the flood in Genesis. But God’s end goal has always been, since the fall of man, to have the close relationship with us that was intended in the beginning. Thus God sent Jesus to die for our sins, in our place, so that justice was satisfied and thus the relationship restored.
But - God shows amazing restraint with His people in the Bible. Let’s be honest, we’re not God. (Far from it.) But if we were in His shoes…dealing with us? We’d be tempted to be super frustrated, harsh, and critical.
God, though, still works with us. He didn’t abandon us - He sent Jesus. He didn’t just turn His back on Jonah, Moses, the Israelites, or David.
Someone who is judgmental like the definition we looked at in the beginning of this blog?

He wouldn’t be patient, kind, loving, forgiving, etc.
He wouldn’t keep working with His kids for thousands of years.
He wouldn’t be telling us through the Bible, and especially through Jesus, that what God wants the most is us. And not just us, but our hearts. ‘Cause God doesn’ want mindless minions who simply obey Him…He wants a legit, healthy relationship with us.
Because He loves us.

If God was just some mean, nasty overlord type…the Bible would look very different. For one thing, we probably wouldn't even have a Bible. Because the Bible exists as a record of the truth…and a nasty overload wants you to have everything but the truth.

In fact, we’ll never understand how much - at least, not on this side of heaven.
And if you’ve been taught otherwise…you’ve been taught wrong. And it’s important that you begin to replace that icky teaching with legit, biblical truth.
Start with my podcast, if that’s all you have right now.
You can also take my interactive quiz. By answering 5 brief questions, you’ll know exactly what your first step should be in this process. Plus, you’ll be instantly equipped with resources to propel you forward.
I’m also working on an exclusive community so that you can interact with - and be surrounded by - other women just like you. Ones who are on the same journey.
And if you’re coming from a geographical region (or other constraints) where a Jesus-centered, truly Biblical community is difficult to find, the online community I’m creating is going to be a needed lifeline for you.
So if you’re not on my email list yet, sign up right now so you can get the updates as all of these tools release. (bit.ly/GodLovesMeEmail).
And in the meantime, if there’s a burning biblical question that you need answered, feel free to submit it through the form on my website.