Judging

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 7:1

Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Matthew 7:1 The Message

The lesson for our confirmand class this past week was to not judge. The students were asked to tell of a time when they judged too quickly. One student brought up disliking a person in her new school and deciding she would never be her friend. Lo and behold, that person is now her best friend. We all agreed this type of first judgment can easily be wrong.

As leaders, we brought up the history of a city Councilwoman. Many people misjudged her. She was seen sleeping on the streets after running away from home. Her family had been dysfunctional with each parent having had four divorces. Surviving a divorce, myself, I feel her pain. She was a homeless person who hadn’t finished high school. Nobody thought she would finish school. This judgment was wrong. Nobody thought she would go to college; she got her undergraduate degree and became a lawyer. Not only did she become a lawyer and work in a very large firm, she opened her own firm. Nobody thought she would become a City Council member of a city, but she might even possibly run for mayor.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, you know each one of us. You have placed us here in this city and in our families. You know our thoughts and how many hairs we have on our heads. As humans, we do not know these things, but we judge. Please help us move away from this sin. Help us to understand each of us has potential even when we do not see it. Keep us from picking on others and talking about others. We need your Spirit to guide us to not follow our natural thoughts. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck