Judging

“Love is not patronizing and charity isn't about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same -- with charity you give love, so don't just give money but reach out your hand instead.”

― Mother Teresa

This summer I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, and I told this person that the action they were talking about wasn’t good for them. As in, you should not be doing that. I think my words were that it is better to not be doing that at all. They then asked me why I was judging them. I have been thinking about this notion of judging people for a while now. So, when they asked me that this summer I asked this person what they thought judging was: “making others feel bad because of their past decisions.” I agreed that, yeah, that isn't a good feeling, but I didn't think that's what judging was. Then another friend said that he thought it was more “treating people based off past decisions.” This is more in line with what I think judging really is. “To judge is to form an opinion or conclusion about.” Why am I talking about this? Well one, because of a gospel I heard recently. And two, I think it is important for people to understand that just because you don’t like someone’s actions doesn't mean you hate them or don't want to be friends with them.

“Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’”—MT 18:15-20

I heard this reading this past Sunday, and it kind of reminded me of the conversations mentioned above. This passage is often seen as how to deal with conflict, but what if it also could mean that we are supposed to hold each other accountable for the things we are doing. If someone is doing something that could hurt them why wouldn't you tell them? I understand that it isn’t always your place to tell someone something, but if they ask you or you are both talking about something it is okay to say your opinion.

I heard this argument made by an atheist once. A Christian friend of his the was talking about His Faith, heaven and hell. Even if the atheist didn’t believe what he was saying, the Christian loved his friend enough to bring it up. The point is, if you believe something is going to affect someone else, why wouldn’t you tell them? Especially if you are there friend? Shouldn’t our goal be to help others get to heaven alongside us?

Okay back to judging. People need to stop looking themselves as their past mistakes. If someone tells you that an action is wrong, that doesn’t mean you are that thing. We are not our actions. What we have done does not make us up. Yes, we are most of the time responsible for our actions, and they can form the way we think, even the way we act, but we are not made of them.

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus.” – Pope John Paul II

No matter what you have done, Jesus Loves you. You could think you are the worst person ever, but Jesus loves you more than you can ever know. Jesus loves you so much he died on the cross for you. It is important to mention this because maybe it will help people realize that not everyone that points out something that you've done is judging you. Maybe they just want what is best. Maybe they understand just how much you are worth, and that you are worth more than that sin.

Just my thoughts

Go with God

Duncan.