Who Are We to Judge?

A good friend of mine taught me something recently. He helped me see an old lesson from the scriptures in a new way. You remember when Jesus taught us not to judge others? As part of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

Most of us know what it feels like to be the subject of someone’s harsh judgments; to be criticized, called names or put down. Having been subjected to it ourselves, it’s easy to understand why the Savior wouldn’t want us to behave that way toward others.

Well, I already had a pretty good understanding of this part of the teaching. Although, there are many situations where we must make judgments, but they must be righteous judgments; based on our knowledge of right and wrong, and not directed toward an individual as an instrument of hate or hurt.

So what more is there to know about this verse? My friend helped me see that it can also apply to judging ourselves. God, our Heavenly Father, sent us to earth with a purpose. He, who knows us best, has full confidence in our potential and our abilities. We, on the other hand, might be tempted to judge ourselves as being less capable than we really are.

As we grow and learn about His commandments, some might say, “I’m just not good enough!” “What do you mean I’m supposed to love my neighbor? Surely, that doesn’t include the jerk up the road whose dog is constantly digging up my back yard.” Or, “Maybe I’m just not cut out to be the ‘Christian’ type.” Or, “In my case, I’m sure the commandments were only meant to be suggestions.”

What about you? Have you ever judged yourself as being less than the person God meant you to be; just “not cut out for” this or that? When this happens, not only are we misjudging ourselves, we are also lying to ourselves; rationalizing, with all the reasons we can find, just to avoid living up to God’s expectations. Maybe we do it out of fear; fear that we might fail. And if we might fail, then why try, right? “I just can’t do it.” Maybe it is a lack of discipline, or a lack of commitment. Ultimately it is a lack of faith.

God knows what I’m capable of, and I believe he won’t give me a task that I, with His help, cannot accomplish. I am guilty, however, of judging myself as being less; of not having faith in the marvelous potential the Creator placed in me. With new light shed on this teaching, now I have a new challenge to strive to live by.

Your comments?

P.S. If you would like to read more about God’s plan for your life, click here.