Unfortunately, we all do it. We judge others. Their actions, choices, behaviors, relationships, likes and dislikes and even their personalities. We’ve all been conditioned to judge and be critical of things around us (some of us more than others) and while this can be useful to look at ways to improve things by seeing what we do not like, it more often leads us to hurtful comments, disconnected relationships and various negative feelings. No one really likes to be judged and so eliminating this from your own actions will improve your life and relationships...
When we judge, we find fault, place blame or decide who is worthy and who is not. We decide what is right or wrong, good or bad based on our emotional reactions. The process of judging is focused on problems rather than solutions. At the root of judgment is fear--fear of losing something we have, fear of not getting something we want and fear of something we can't understand. However, when we use discernment to make decisions, we open ourselves to all possibilities, to new ways of looking at problems and people. As we discern, we welcome God into our decisions. Through discernment, we seek truth, not justification for our opinions and fears.
Don’t Judge Others...This is obviously easier said than done. It is possible to stop though with some practice, attention and a desire to eliminate it. The first step in not judging others is to simply stop voicing it. This is usually the hard part and if you can learn to keep judging comments to yourself, you can quickly eliminate any hurt you are causing to others directly. The old saying, "If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything!" is timeless and should be exercized as we move forward as a even greater country!
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