Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
When I read this scripture, it makes me think of all the times when I’ve thought unkindly about someone else or assumed something about someone else based on a small part of a situation that I saw or heard about. Judging people is a very serious misstep that we all find ourselves doing from time to time. Most of the time our judgments are incorrect, yet damage could have already been done either by our withholding assistance to that person, being unkind to them or by saying unkind things about them.
When we judge people, whether it be because of something we saw or something we heard, we are bringing negativity into our lives and this leads to more judging and more negativity. Most people judge because they are unhappy with something about themselves and are seeking to find fault with others so they can feel better about themselves. This is not the way to make ourselves happy. When we think badly about others and look for reasons to criticize or judge them, we are only bringing negative emotions into our hearts, thus making ourselves more unhappy.
The key to finding happiness within ourselves is to look for the good in others. When we allow others leeway and forgive them for things they do that we don’t like, we are allowing ourselves to have extra room in our lives for more positive things. It also becomes easier for us to find things about ourselves to be happy with.
There are so many things in society today where people are not following what God would have them do. While it is obvious that some people are not living within God’s laws, it is still not our place to judge them. It is God’s responsibility to judge people and it is our responsibility to help and uplift people. When we find fault and judge others, we are only bringing further condemnation upon ourselves by trying to take on a responsibility that does not belong to us.
Pingback: Christmas Candle Scriptures