Judging Others
AM Psalm 50 • PM Psalm [59, 60] or 114, 115
Wisdom 5:9-23 • Col. 2:8-23 • Luke 6:39-49
Our minds are wired to make judgments. We make thousands of decisions every day based on our assumptions, categorizations, and quick judgments. Making judgments is how we live in our world and create our own realities. Judging others and our environments is necessary and can be very beneficial, but problems arise when we start to see our judgments as fact and allow ourselves to be immune to the same critical examination.The type of judgment that Jesus speaks about in Luke, is the more insidious second kind.
When we spend all of our energy on the shortcomings of those around us, we don’t see the flaws in ourselves. While the Bible provides a guideline for our morality, in practice this is muddled by our experience and interpretation. It is quite possible that something that goes against our values isn’t inherently wrong, just different. Judging the actions of others through our own constructed moralities without acknowledging the possibility of other right paths makes God small. It is not our place to decide what is right in God’s eyes.
I believe that doing God’s work is characterized by love, self-reflection, and enough stillness to hear the direction that God is pulling our life in. There is no place for judgment of others or criticism of faith other than our own. We must learn to control what we can and leave the rest to God. Judging what is out of our control is exhausting and prevents us from becoming the best versions of ourselves. Even by just noticing what influences our judgments and judgments made by others, our hearts begin to soften. Acknowledging the filters we see life through allows us to see more clearly our shared humanity and love God more fully.
Written by Hadley Thomas
Hadley recently graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a biochemistry degree and is working in Washington D.C. as a Senate intern. She will start medical school in August and will commission into the U.S. Navy as a physician upon graduation. She is passionate about her faith and is excited to share her perspective and interpretations with the amazing congregation of Saint Paul’s.