IS JUDGING OTHERS AS BAD AS PEOPLE SAY IT IS?
Is Judging Others As Bad As People Say It Is?
by Markey Motsinger
I admit it. I judge people. Judging is when you form an opinion or conclusion about someone or something. It’s an innate quality that can become a habit that we do subconsciously.
Mathew 7:1 says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” How are we not supposed to judge people, especially when they are rude? How do I keep others accountable without judging their actions to see if they line up with God’s truth?
My two cents, you can’t. God wasn’t saying that all judgment is wrong. He was saying that it’s about the heart behind the judgment.
Jesus judged people’s actions a lot. Of course, there is one small difference. His motives were pure, and He had a complete understanding of the person’s heart. Also, the reason He judged was to remove sin and bring them closer to Himself. So, where does that leave me?
It leaves me in a place to become more aware of the reason behind my judgment. It’s healthy and wise for me to judge when deciding whether to enter a relationship. It’s appropriate for me to judge when I am determining if someone can lead a ministry. But it’s not appropriate for me to condemn that person because of the judgments I make.
Judgments are for growth, not for putting ourselves and others in labeled boxes. We will never be able to stop judging what we see, but we can change our mindset and ask God to correct us when we are judging for the wrong reasons or no reason at all.
The One we are to model has shown us the right way to judge. I want to become more like Him and love people in a way that the only reason I judge them is to help them grow closer to Jesus.
Your Turn…
Biblical judgment is used to build and grow. Worldly judgment is used to condemn and put down. What side does your heart lean when it comes to judgment?
Most would agree if we stop judging, we would be void of opinions, but most would also agree that we hate being judged. There are three things we can start doing in this area:
1. We can stop judging people based on one-time interactions.
Maybe a person was greedy or rude, but that doesn’t mean the person is rude or greedy. The person could be operating in a moment of stress or from a place of anxiety. Don’t be quick to label a person according to the action until you know their heart.
2. We can stop living with other people’s judgments.
We are easily offended by other people’s judgments. We also seem to adapt their judgments as our truth. Instead, we need to realize that people have opinions, just like we do, but we don’t have to allow their opinions to dictate our thoughts and feelings. Instead, we should take all opinions to trusted friends and Jesus to see if there is anything we can learn from it.
3. We can stop judging people to feel better about ourselves or to express our self-righteous opinion.
We often call people out instead of up. When we call someone out, we use our judgment to condemn them and point out their flaws. When we call each other up, we are investing in their lives, helping them see what maybe they don’t see. Encouraging them to grow and conform to God’s image. Calling them out is for my benefit, usually because someone has hurt me, feel a sense of self-righteousness, or need to feel better about myself. Calling them up is for their benefit.
Judgments are for growth, not for putting ourselves and others in labeled boxes. We can never stop judging what we see, but we can change our mindset and ask God to correct us when we are judging for the wrong reasons, or for no reason at all.
Hi there! I’m Markey! I’m inviting you to pull up a chair and join me in this thing called life. With me, you won’t find much fluff, but you will find an ordinary, girl who craves authenticity and Jesus. Visit me here to read my blog or grab some free Bible studies and reading plans.
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