Judging People

So I talked about how I get judgey toward anything and everything that comes my way and sometimes people come my way. Lord knows they’d turn around and go the other way if they knew what I was thinking. I want to see them like Jesus does, but sometimes I get planks in my eyes that make it impossible.

      

The easiest way I've found to remove the planks is to ask myself two questions. “Are you happy with how you’re living life?” If I’m upset about how someone does something, it’s often because I don’t like the method I’ve chosen or haven’t spent any time thinking about it so I feel defensive of my MO. If I answer 'no' to this question, I know I need to spend the time, pray and follow the path that’s right for me. If I love how I’m living, I don’t feel the need to pick other people’s lives apart.

      

If I said 'yes' to the first question, I ask, “Are you beating yourself up about not living up to your standard?” So when you have given it thought and you’re on a path you believe in, sometimes the ire comes from failing to follow through. Maybe you mess up more than you don’t. Anyone? That's when I have to open my heart to grace. It's always been there, patiently waiting for us to stop thinking it's a cop-out. Grace for the mess ups. Forever tries. It's the reality and it's the only thing that propels us towards our goals. The danger of shutting grace out is, we train our eyes on other people’s flaws like our life depends on it. 

Let Jesus love you, and you’ll find the compulsion to judge others dissipates. When we’re aware that we all fit under God’s love umbrella, we can pocket our measuring sticks and love our neighbors like ourselves.