Everyone hates being judged.
Judgement does not fall under the category of constructive criticism, but rather looking at someone’s appearances and their words, then creating assumptions about the contents of their heart. We have become judges in almost every aspect of our lives. We judge all the time. And it is one of the worst possible behaviors to erode the human heart and mind.
Trying to understand someone is one thing, but it’s a whole new ballgame if I treat someone differently than from someone else. This is especially problematic if this inherent bias is based off of what that person has said. We instantly jump to conclusions without room for patience, kindness or mercy. Sadly, judging one another is what most of our society does – we make internal assumptions and treat people based on our own preconceived notions of who we think they are. Just look at Facebook user profiles and Twitter feeds. It’s almost impossible to escape the constant bombardment of judgements directed at other people.
Seeing what everyone else is doing with their lives makes it even easier for us to judge and compartmentalize each other. We judge one another based off of what we look like, what we eat, what we say, what knowledge we’ve acquired, religious preferences, who we associate ourselves with, our political leanings, and our opinions.
No wonder everyone feels stressed and depressed. We have abandoned our own health and unique mindset for the sake of appealing to the masses. We can’t stop thinking about what other people think of us. For the sake of maintaining the status quo, we have judged others that do not satisfy the status quo. This internalized behavior is dangerous because these social judgements have infected the way we treat people in person; casting judgements onto others after reading their posts online and failing to seek understanding when placed at a crossroads of values and ideals.
Who am I to judge? This phrase is said over and over as if it were a rhetorical question. Unfortunately, we don’t ask ourselves this question nearly enough. Who am I to judge others? I cannot judge other people because not only am I not qualified, but I neither have the power, influence, omniscience or the position to do so. Only God has that right.
Everyone on this shared planet is constantly struggling in their own hidden battles, so it is literally impossible to form an opinion about anyone. That’s a substantial claim. But let me ask you this: why are we so quick to form opinions on someone when we truly don’t know them from the inside out? Nowadays it has become all too common for our opinions to be based off of a few words vs the hundred of millions of words that an individual has said. What reasonable scientist or lawyer would make a conclusion without first looking at all the evidence?
“But Luke, how am I able to make basic, ordinary decisions in life without judging? Life would literally be impossible.”
We can judge, but under a very specific condition, which is outlined in Proverbs 31:9.
Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
The word righteous translates to “just, lawful and correct.” So all we can do in terms of judging is to make sure what we say is correct and lawful for the sake of the defenseless. Judgement does not extend to everyone you see and hear.
I make mistakes, just like every human being on the planet. So why do we sometimes act like we are perfect beings who can only see the flaws in others? Re-evaluation of ourselves and our place on Earth should be one of our top priorities. We must take out the planks in our own eyes before we attempt taking out the splinters in our neighbor’s eyes.
A modern example of judgement is shown by the number of God-fearing people actively protesting and abhorrently dishonoring the current U.S. President. The mocking, slandering, and grotesque words that are cast on this one man by fellow Christians cannot be overstated. To those who have never sinned, cast the first stone.
I do not hold secularists to this standard, only to those who claim to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Donald J. Trump is a human. God made humans in his image and God will never stop loving us, so if we claim to follow in God’s footsteps, why do we love some people more and some people less? This is the textbook definition of being judgmental. If I told you I loved you the same as I love Donald Trump, would you be upset at this statement? What if I told you I loved you the same as I love Ryan Reynolds? Would you be upset at this statement? How blatantly obvious are our internal judgments towards one another!
Ephesians 4:29 says to not let any corrupting talk come out of our mouths, but only such as is good for building up. So we must remain positive and encourage one another, even if there are disagreements.
*Side note* Fellow believers have told me, “He’s not my president”. In 1 Peter 2:13-17 God says to submit for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors.. to show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, and to honor the emperor. Christians that I have walked with personally still struggle with these concepts. Judging others and those in elected seats have become way too commonplace – to the point where Christians have forgotten that God alone puts kings into their places of power. Let’s stop judging where people are at and instead bring up one another in humility and love, ya?
People make mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. People say mean things. I’ve uttered some choice words here and there. And people have different outlooks on life. That’s the fundamental beauty of what makes humanity unique in God’s eyes. Does God love me or others any less for it?
Judgement belongs to God, and to God alone. We are doers of the law, not judges of the law. The overwhelming commonality of judging one another is obvious to me, so it is high time we be reminded of our place in God’s kingdom.
Peace be with you,
LW
The Silent Mind 