How we judge

"Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgement you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye." 

This passage from Matthew 7 gives us a stern warning against the dangers of judging others. I mean how embarassing to try to help somebody else see clearer, trying to help them get a little speck of dust out, so they could see with perfect vision- all the while having a big log in your eye. 

That would be impossible! That would be stupid!!
And yet how stupid are we to look around and make ourselves judges of each others forgetting to have mercy on our brothers and sisters in the same way God has mercy on us.

How strange like the parable in Matthew 18:23- 35 when the King forgave his servant thousands of debts and the servant could not even forgive a few dollars.

And yet how easy it is to put people in boxes, to draw false assumptions, to slap on labels without knowing or caring. How easy it is for us to get frustrated at others when they mess up or make mistakes.

How easy it is to judge.

Just yesterday, I met a sweet girl who was dressed up uber-modestly. She was wearing one of those really long skirts with long dark pants and it was super hot outside. And she talked with one of those sweet voices that sound like a canary. She seems so surreal to me. I was like which box have you lived in your whole life? Have you ever been through anything hard? Why do you have to look and dress like your perfect?

And I have to ask myself why I'm so hard on this girl. She's probably really sweet. Am I jealous of her innocence? Maybe. What is it that I don't like about her? And it comes down to the fact, that I don't know her- that I'm making assumptions about her life. That I'm comparing my life with hers.

I don't know what she's been through.

I don't know how she's been raised.

I don't know anything about her- and even if I did- who am I to judge her.

Friends, it's so easy to judge others and to make accusations or stereotypes but so often they are wrong. We are not very good judges of character- as it can be fooled often- people learn how to put on good shows. 

Thankfully our God is merciful. Our God is loving. He sees our weaknesses; he sees our brokenness and He doesn't just leave us in a mess. He pursues us. He covers us with His blood. He pleads on the cross for our innocence so that we would not be judged. He takes our judgement.

And because Jesus took my judgement that day, I don't want to judge people any longer. I want to live extending the mercy that God gave to me.