Judging others. This is something we do. At least I know I have been and occasionally I’m still guilty of it.
Scenarios:
- You see someone with tattoos all over them and think they must be bad to the bone. (And not in a good way.)
- You see someone who is Middle Eastern looking and stereotype them as if “they” are all Muslim or terrorist.
- You see a young black boy walking down the road and suppose he’s a thief.
- You see a Hispanic boy and presume that he’s in a gang.
- You see a person driving a nice Mercedes car and dressed nicely and believe they are wealthy.
- You see….You see…You see….
But it’s what we don’t see, or choose not to see, that we need to truly observe before we pass any judgment on anyone.
Yea, yea, we are not to judge others. Leave all the judging to God. I even read this in 1 Samuel 24:12 today when David was talking to King Saul about how he could of killed Saul when he went to relieve himself in a cave, but he didn’t (Yes, the bible actually told us when King Saul had to go pee.) And David was questioning Saul about why he was trying to kill David. The verse said, “Let the Lord be the judge.”
True, we are not supposed to judge others, but we all know we do, and hopefully we can all learn from scriptures on this matter. John 7:24 says, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
You know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” You may see a book that is tattered and plain, but it may contain a great story. Or you see a creatively designed book cover and are enticed to read it. But to your surprise, the plot unfolds pathetically. Same thing applies to people.
Referring to some of the scenarios above, I know some of the greatest Christians who have tattoos because they were either in the armed forces or another reason, and they were never a “bad” person. Not that I’m a big fan of tatting yourself, but I’ve learned not to judge someone just because they have one or two or a plethora of them.
There is a boy who has been friends with my son for a long time, and I even call him my “black son”. No way would I believe him to be a thief if I were to see him walking down the road. Maybe he just missed the school bus or wanted to stay fit and jog around town instead of driving his car.
I could go on and on with “falsely judging” others stories, but you get the point. Dig a little deeper and you just may discover the reason why someone looks or behaves the way they do.
When I reread the above verses, I’m led to believe that the 1 Samuel verse pertains to when someone truly wrongs another person. We don’t need to retaliate; we should let God be the judge. But when I read John 7:24, that judging is about those times we do wrongly accuse/judge someone by their appearance or association.
I may be way off base, but I just know that God has reminded me that He is in control and I need to make sure I’m not judging others because of the way they appear or act. Has He spoken to you too?
Blessings to you.
May 27