Who are we to judge?
As I have matured with age, I have learnt that it is wrong to judge someone unless you have really walked a kilometer in their shoes, in that way when you judge them and condemn yourself in the process you are far enough not to get smacked and the best thing is you have their shoes. LOL
We usually fail to understand why people stay in abusive relationships, why do they go out with a married man/woman, why would they have sex before marriage and end up with “oops” babies or contract HIV, why do they swear and hurt people in the process of their actions. WHY DO THEY SIN WHEN THEY KNOW IT IS WRONG? We tend to conclude that they must be either stupid or disobedient, or we sit there judgmentally and point fingers to them in shame and sometimes begin disowning them as friends and distancing ourselves from them.
We are told in Matthew 7: 1 - 5 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say, ‘Let me take the
speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye.
We are reminded that before you pass judgment on anyone, or point at their wrong doing, you need to assess yourself and be sure that you are not living against God’s will and getting yourselves in situations that He will not approve of. Once you have cleaned your own ways, only then you will be able to see their faults.
When you have eventually removed the speck in your eye, only can you start seeing their wrong doing. When you notice their sins you are not to judge them but do what Paul encouraged the Galatians to do (Galatians 4:1 – 2) Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 2: 1 -3 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgement?
The act of judgement is an act of pride. It involves looking to our own store of knowledge, putting together a few facts, figures or fancies, and coming up with some sort of answer or solution to a given problem or situation. It’s an act of monumental pride. When you judge another, you have taken upon yourself an awesome responsibility for making the correct judgement. As a human you will be judging your fellows according to human standard. After all, your judgement is not necessary; we have no right to stand in judgement of our fellow human beings. What you don't see, don't understand, is that your judgement leads to suffering - your own suffering.
When someone does wrong, yours duty is not to try and understand, yours is to hold their hand and guide them in the right direction, GENTLY, not to look down on them, but to be supportive of them. Guide your fellow and let God do the judging!!