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

This means that we should not condemn or criticize others, as we do not know the full circumstances of their lives or their personal struggles. As Christians, not judging others is a fundamental principle that Jesus taught us. When we judge someone, we often place ourselves above them, as if we were better or more righteous, when in fact, we are all imperfect.

God alone knows the hearts and intentions of people. Only He can judge with true justice, because He sees what we cannot. As humans, we tend to see only the surface—what others show us or what we believe we understand—but God sees the inner motivations of each person.

When we judge, we also risk being hypocritical, because often, we criticize others for behaviors or mistakes that we ourselves commit, sometimes without even realizing it. Jesus said in Matthew 7:3:

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

This means that we are often quick to criticize others for their faults, while we have our own flaws or sins that we overlook. Before correcting others, we must first work on ourselves.

By not judging, we demonstrate humility and compassion. God calls us to love and understand others, not to condemn them. It is through love and support that we can truly help someone change or improve, not by criticizing or belittling them.

Imagine you are in church on a Sunday morning, and you notice someone you know arriving late, poorly dressed, and visibly tired. Your first reaction might be to judge them. You might think, “Why is she always late? She doesn’t even respect the church. She could make an effort.” Without even knowing her situation, you’ve already formed a negative opinion about her.

But what you don’t know is that this person is going through a very tough time. She may have spent the night at the hospital caring for a sick family member, or perhaps she has lost her job and can no longer afford new clothes. Despite her problems, she is doing her best to come to church, but you only see the external—her lateness, her appearance, and her fatigue.

If you take a moment to pause and choose not to judge, but instead to understand, you might decide to approach her after the service and ask how she’s doing. By offering her support and showing love, you may discover her struggles and help her with compassion. Perhaps this simple conversation could give her the comfort she desperately needs.

Finally, by not judging, we protect ourselves from being judged. The Bible says that the way we judge others is the way we will be judged (Matthew 7:2). If we want to be treated with grace and mercy, we must offer that same grace to others.

So, not judging means leaving judgment to God, loving our neighbors as Jesus did, and living in peace, knowing that everyone has their own journey to walk…

This text is an excerpt from the book “OUR BAD THOUGHTS” written by ORNELLA NLOME

We invite you to read the following article, MAINTAINING POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT ONESELF.

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