Learning to Live without Judging Others
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Judging is making a negative evaluation of others without caring for or wanting to help them.
False Narrative: "We must judge people in order to fix them and/or in order to make us feel better about ourselves."
Judging to FIX people - Fails more often than not for 4 reasons:
- It doesn't flow from a heart of love
- It can be received as an attack
- Deconstruction without reconstruction
- Our judgment may be (and often is) wrong
Judging in order to FEEL BETTER about ourselves
- When we judge others, we feel superior to them
- Judging puts us on the moral high ground and diminishes those we are judging
- Judgmental people either feel the worst about themselves or mostly deny their own weaknesses
The secret to learning how to dispense with judging others is by living in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus' Narrative: "If you judge someone, be prepared to be judged in return"
Scripture: Matthew 7:1-6
"Don't judge ... ask and pray."
Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11
"Treat others as you would like to be treated."
Scripture: Matthew 7:12