Before You Judge
Why is judgement talked about so much in the Bible? What makes it so bad to do? Well, when you judge someone or even a situation, you are making assumptions. You are trying to fill in the gaps between truth and making sense. We never know the whole story. You may never know the events that lead up to a situation or a decision that someone has to make. We often say, “If that was me, I would’ve done (this) or (that).” How do you really know what you would do in a situation. You have to factor in so many other angles for each circumstance.
You do not know what emotions are driving a person to make their choices.
God sees us beyond our emotions. Emotions lie. He sees the heart. He factors in the whole picture, not just what is on the surface. Too often we see the surface and make our conclusions based on what is in front of us. This is wrong. We all know the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, but how simple and right that is! Really think about how many times you have passed up on a book or a movie because the cover didn’t really appeal to you. So, with that analogy on inanimate objects, image how horrible it is to do that to other human beings. You avoid someone because they don’t appear the way you’d like them to. You aren’t kind to someone because they aren’t your ‘type’ of person. How damaging this mind frame is.
God is so big about judgement because He sees people’s hearts. We see surface. When we cast judgement on someone we could be causing pain to their spirit.
Have you ever had an opinion about someone before you even met them based off of someone else’s words? You have never met them but you don’t like them because of what your best friend has said? Amazing. You allowed yourself to be controlled by someone else’s experience. Wisdom comes when you humble yourself. Not everyone is what they appear to be on the outside. There are people operating out of hurt that you may never know about. Calling someone names is deeply damaging. We don’t know the whole story. Ever. But God does. And by Him instructing us not to judge, it’s for both sides. Not judging someone gives room for compassion. Compassion opens the door for love. And love gives a person hope in their worst times. Where most people judge, you could be the one to love and open your heart, when no one else has. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? He put aside the words of the world and looked at the person’s heart. He took those thrown away by society and gave them a new beginning.
Jesus saw past the outside and loved them for what was inside.
Instead of wasting so much time on judging others, we should invest our time in to asking God what we need to work on. When you’re focused on making yourself better with God, your opinion and judgement for others will cease. You’ll be more compassionate and kind towards others because you will see that even you have problems. Even you get judged unfairly. After you realize this, you won’t want to cast false judgement towards others. You will want to think about the best in others. Make excuses for them. Cover them with love.
Before you tell someone else how to clean their mirror, make sure yours is no longer dirty.
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things.” Romans 2:1
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Luke 6:41-42
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8