This week’s Pastor to Person was written by Pastor Rich Cathers.
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. (Matthew 7:1–2)
Some folks like to quote that first part and tell you how bad it is to “judge” others. Yet Jesus’ message was not to stop people from judging. He was warning us to learn to judge in a healthy way. He said we need to remove the plank from our own eye first.
Our world right now is sinking in a sea of opinions. People have conflicting opinions about race, the economy, vaccines, and on and on. I’m not going to pontificate about the “proper” opinions to have, but I do want to warn us about what we do with our opinions.
How do you view others who have an opinion different than your own? Are they just stupid to hold their particular slant on things? Or is it possible they are just misinformed? Wait … what if I’m the one that’s misinformed? What if I’ve been making judgments about those other folks when I’m the one that’s wrong?
I know that I wish others were more merciful and gracious to me, but that might not happen if I’m the one being so judgmental. Perhaps I need to keep my mouth shut and listen more. I need to be more gracious than I am. Jesus said that if I “judge” this way, perhaps I’ll find others being more merciful towards me.