"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
Through many conversations I have discussed the concept of judging and people are quick to say they don't judge people. However, you spend enough time with someone and you will discover the type of people that they judge. I have the previous verse tattooed on my arm to be a constant reminder to me that I should be quick to forgive and that I shouldn't judge/condemn others.
In spending time with people, and listening to them, I found many things that people judge others on. Here is a list that I've compiled of the most-common:
- How someone talks (less educated speech, southern drawl, grammatical errors, etc.)
- How someone dresses (clothes are torn, clothes are stained/dirty, clothes are mismatched, colors are bright, clothes are old/out of date)
- Sexual Orientation (whether he/she is gay, whether he/she is straight, whether he/she is bi)
- Someone who is transsexual (this is very evident, currently, especially with Caitlyn Jenner)
- Someone's ethnicity/race (white people judging black people, black people judging white people)
- Religion (there has been a very large number of people judging the Christian religion lately, as a whole. I've seen, and heard, this first-hand as well as through others. Christianity is under fire right now. Judaism is also under fire from all sides.)
- Someone's weight (people make fun of fat people, or thing negative things when they see someone who is obese. Some people even make fun of people who are thin. I've also heard people make fun of people who weight-life. Saying women shouldn't look like that, or men shouldn't be that big.)
- Someone who is rich/poor (this one goes both ways...and can lead into coveting in one direction. We don't know circumstances, yet judgment still happens)
- Women who strip for money (wasn't it Jesus that spent time with prostitutes and the outcasts?)
This list could easily go on and on. I'm not saying that we should become afraid or paranoid. We need to become aware that we are human and can make intentional efforts to change the way we view people. We need to see them the way God sees them. See them how Christ would see them.
Does this mean we need to accept what the Bible says is wrong? No. Did Jesus say it was okay to be a prostitute? Did He say to continue living in your sin? No. He loved them. And he would tell them to .."go and sin no more." He would show love and kindness to those looked down upon in society.
One thing to remember. The one that you judge is a human. He/she is created in God's Image. He/she has feelings. He/she can feel pain, humiliation, sadness, sorrow, hate, joy, happiness, love. If you open your heart to understand where you may be passing judgment, make a change. When you feel yourself starting to judge someone, pray for them. If you can see that they are struggling with something, offer assistance. What better way to break a habit of judgment than to show the love of Jesus Christ?
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