When reading the book, I wrote some notes about what I thought when reading this little part of the book.
'"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get" (Matthew 7:1). From this and all the other texts of the Gospel, it becomes clear that God's judgment is not the result of some divine calculation of which we have no part, but the direct reflection of our lack of trust in God's love."
--Henri Nouwen
What if we didn't judge? Could I do that? It would be so freeing. I am who God made me to be so I should not worry about judging other people and other people judging me. I am perfect in His eyes. Trust in Him that He will provide for me in every aspect. I've been thinking about this a lot because it is hard to let go. It's hard not to judge other people. I think that if I could cease to judge others, it would be so freeing to me because it would be more time to spend with God and less time worrying about what other people think. How did this affect you?
This section spoke to me as well. Powerful stuff that I am guilty of. I want to spend less time judging & more time accepting, more time getting over myself & more time seeking God's heart. This is good stuff. This is what I need to be reminded of daily. :) Have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteyeah...this is tough stuff. i've been realizing that as much as i don't want to be a judgmental person, i consider myself good because i succeed in hiding my judgments toward other people. this will only result in my heart becoming more and more petty. lately i've been looking at how much more i value "coolness" than i ever expected. it makes me embarrassed.
ReplyDeleteFreeing for sure. Please bring this freedom Lord. Tear down our walls of judgement and the earnest longing to feel superior.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate Lindsey. I struggle so much with consuming so much of my time on worrying about what others think as well as judging others based on my own critical thoughts and preassumptions. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a hard thing to digest. We are sooooo very quick to judge. Yet it can be so hurtful. This makes me think back to your previous post of having a bad day. If I was in your situation I would have judged that teacher right away and would not have been able to think otherwise. I wish we could simply stop judging because you are right it would soo freeing. We can just simply keep trying and praying.
ReplyDeletenot judging is a choice. so let's choose! it's also a muscle that we must work-out to make stronger. the more we work on not judging, the less we will judge, because we will gain His strength!
ReplyDeleteI find that the same effort it takes to judge someone and find their faults can be redirected towards evaluating their strengths and encouraging them, or recognizing their weaknesses and working to fortify them.
ReplyDeleteWould we be so worried about others assessment if we knew it would lead to encouragement, or help? I want to be the kind of person people anticipate help rather than criticism from...
Great thoughts, thanks.
It's so much easier to judge others than judge ourselves. I feel we constantly look to others to see what they are doing wrong so we can feel better about our own faults and lacking. If only we could stop judging...I definitely need God's help on that one. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete