Judge gently

Almost all of us tend to judge others some time or the other, even without knowing the facts we form opinions of others without really knowing them or their stories. Even the most intelligent and open-minded people make opinions of others as apparently this happens subconsciously and this affects our behaviour towards them. A poem got my eye which goes like this -   “Pray, don't find fault with the man that limps or stumbles along the road. Unless you have worn the shoes he wears. Or struggled beneath his load.”

We need to be more cautious while judging others as in reality it says more about who we are than who we judge. We often judge others as a projection of our own self-judgments; we see in others what we don't like in others. Low self-esteem and negative perspective about many things in life makes one judge others. Some use arrogance and belittling others as a way to temporarily feel better or more important. Actually, none of these tactics help a person to truly feel better as they carry the negativity with them, even after throwing it at someone else. The only way to find peace and happiness with others is to love and accept them as they are. The best place to start is by loving and accepting oneself.

We are all aware that no one is perfect, as each of us have our set of weakness and faults, just as we have our own skills and strengths. This combination is what makes each human being unique. Do we ever give others the benefit of the doubt, then? We don't know who the better person really is; we can't judge someone. And since we can never be in exactly the same place and life circumstance as another person, we are never allowed to judge anyone. But this doesn't mean we should be so open-minded that we blindly accept anyone or anything.

We can't judge a person, but we can judge actions. Even when people make mistakes, we can still see the best in them, love them, and care for them in spite of their mistakes. We do see this with our children. Who knows their flaws better than we do? Yet we choose to love them. I believe that only God can truly judge a person, and His judgment is unique to the individual, not based on a formula. The Lord doesn't make decisions the way we do. We judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions. The Lord instructs us to stop judging others, and we will not be judged. The Bible teaches us “not to worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own”. How can you think of saying, `Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye, then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye, isn’t?

Therefore, henceforth judge gently by trying to be a little bit more sympathetic towards others. Let's try to live life with a clear conscience by not judging others. Let's treat everyone like we want to be treated, and act as Jesus would want us to act.