Do not judge others, then you will not be judged. The way you judge others, that is the way you will be judged. How much you give to others is how much will be given to you. [Matthew 7:1-2 WE]
I have heard it said that we often see in others what we see in ourselves.
If we struggle with something then we may see it in people around us.
Our harshness towards others is sometimes a reflection of how we feel about ourselves.
In past years I have known what it is to be hard on myself.
I have found this sort of self judgement to be unhealthy and unproductive.
This sort of condemnation has set my focus on the problem and not the solution.
In reality, almost all judgement operates in this fashion.
It creates an atmosphere that places problems above solutions.
And it rarely resembles discernment - i.e. healthy judgment.
The last part of this passage speaks so much to how we should live.
If we desire grace and mercy we must be willing to give it.
And if we want a great measure of it we must give it liberally.
It is difficult because it requires to first really love ourselves.
Love is not like judgment because it is patient, and kind and forgiving.
I really cannot condemn one in judgment if I see them with eyes of love.
Boiling it down, the issue is what our judgment says about us.
Is our judging simply a reflection of the way that we envision ourselves?
And will we recognize our desire to judge as invitation to simply love?
Help me to see myself and others through your eyes of mercy Lord.
... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.
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