Sunday April 29, 2007 | Annie Perdue-Olson
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Judgment of other people is a vicious cycle that destroys human relationships. Only God has the wisdom, power and ability to be an accurate judge of a person's life and character. Instead of creating self-centered little kingdoms for ourselves, we can follow the path of Jesus by living in perfect love.
Judgment of other people is a vicious cycle that destroys human relationships. We judge when we try to use our personal perspectives on outward appearances to regulate our daily lives. Judging is naturally self-centered because we use our own criteria to judge things. We do this because we inherently think that our perspective is the “right” one and that it’s superior to others’ perspectives. Many of us get life and meaning from being right, orderly, and accommodating to what we think is best. But only God has the wisdom, power, and ability to be an accurate judge of a person’s life and character.
Instead of creating self-centered little kingdoms for ourselves, we can follow the path of Jesus by living in perfect love. God’s plan has been for his love to be displayed in loving relationship between his Children. God’s justice doesn’t just pass judgment and condemnation on people; instead it pulls a community together to restore lost relationships in truth and love. As we 1) move past our own felt shame, 2) stop attempting to hide our flaws and 3) cease to perform for other people’s expectations, we will see ourselves live in grace and forgiveness where the power of Spirit is released into loving community.