I think two of the thorniest passages in the Bible (does that have to be capitalized? bible?) is Matthew 7:1 or Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." It may be one of the hardest things we are asked to do. Do not judge, do not condemn. Forgive. I don't know about you..but I judge all the time. I condemn people for choices and decisions that "I" would not make. But how can I know? What right do I have?
Here's why. I am not that person. I do not have any idea what they're dealing with. I don't know their past. I know nothing about them other than what they show me. Where do I get off making any kind of judgment about their life or their choices? I know all get all kinds of angry when someone dares to make judgments about my life or my choices. That's when I pull out the verses above and say mind your own business. But how often do I do the same thing?
Recently I've come up against a few situations that I have immediately snapped to judgment on. Admittedly they are things that I probably shouldn't know anyway, but the indiscretion of others concerning their own personal lives doesn't give me the right to pass judgment or condemn others for their choices. Just because I have chosen to make a different decision does not necessarily mean that I'm automatically in the right. I'd like to think so, of course. We all would like to think that we're in the right, that we have the answers, that we know best. Well, newsflash here, but no. We don't. Sorry. All we can do is make the best decision for us with the information we're given.
Now, there are plenty of things that I think people shouldn't do. But if they make the choice to do them, who am I to judge? I'm sure I make plenty of decisions that people find questionable. I know I do. But really, that's between me, the people involved, and God. If I want people to mind their own business, I should take my own advice. Mind my own business. Offer help, support, advice, and above all, love. Help and support should be a given. Advice, well...if it's asked for. Love, always. Always offer love. It can make all the difference in the world. And it's all we're asked to do in the first place.
