WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE???

It’s interestingly amazing how we see the things people do, but most often never bother to ask why...

We seem to know people so much and so well, even the ones we never met and that has made us self-righteous and all-knowing and very judgemental...

·   On your way to church on a Sunday morning, you see a group of young men playing football on a field; and after church, you see some men and women at a bar having that ‘Sunday special’....

You don’t ask, but you conclude by making yourself look ‘obedient’ and righteous in your own eyes. You never bother to ask and be told that: they are Adventists or Moslems or Witnesses who have had their Sabbath or field work ahead of yours.

·         You see a 13year old girl with a baby on her back and carrying the weightiest load on her head.

You conclude that the ‘youth of today’ have low moral standards; you beat your chest out of pride and say, “how righteous, pure, holy and morally upright I am; I never thought of babies at 13”. You never bother to find out that: she was raped and the baby was the scar of that rape though a gift OR that the baby is her sibling- she’s only helping her mother to take care of the baby OR they both lost their mother whilst she was having the baby and their father lost his job and his mind as a result or is probably nowhere to be found OR that the baby is her older sister or brother’s child.

·         You are in church and it’s time to sing a hymn, the young person seated beside you starts scrolling/ thumbing up and down on their iPad/ tablet/ phone/ palm top.

You never bother your sense of curiosity to find out that: they hymnal they chose and could afford is the one they are thumbing through and that is what they are gadgets are for.

·         In church, everyone stands to make a contribution to the ongoing discussion; but he sits to make his point and you conclude that he is disrespectful and plain pompous...

You are so so ashamed when you find out during collection time that: he has one leg amputated and walks by the help of his clutches.

·         You are on your way to work or school, and you see a young man/ woman tottering and swaying left and right as they move on and then suddenly, they fall down. As better than them as you are, you say to yourself: “look at this aimless person, drank at this hour of the day...”

You never bother to get close enough to find out that, (s)he is on her way to the hospital but has no one to take him/ her OR (s)he has just left the hospital but had spent all they had on the prescribed medication and couldn’t afford food or water to take the drug right away OR that the person has not eaten for days...

·         You are too busy to listen to that young person who is so weighed down by their tears and just can’t spare time to listen to another lazy-miserable person whose life didn’t turn out right and has too much time on their hands to spare feeling sorry for themselves...

You didn’t even have the heart to listen or even to obey that still small voice telling you that: the miserable young lad or lass whose life (in your eyes) didn’t turn out right is the very one whose parents made sacrifices for your parents to get you where you are OR that: that is the one soul you should have encouraged and helped get into heaven.

·         You know someone who is always laughing and makes jokes out of everything you regard as serious and always finds something to laugh about... You just shake your head at them and decide that they are not people you should mingle with because they are not serious and don’t have any worries and would definitely not have anything sensible to share with or tell you... 

You never bother to even get close to find out that the weight on that persons heart and shoulder is much more you even imagined or bothered to think about and you never even opened your eyes and mind and heart to learn from them that: no matter how heavy or ugly your problems look, life is beautiful and that once you profess to trust God, He always gives you something to smile and even laugh about and you tend to have a brighter outlook on life regardless of how heavy your burdens...

·       You see a man or woman whom everyone ( including yourself) knows is rich and so you stay away thinking this person has it all and doesn’t need any more or has no problem and that God has been so fair to him/ her but not you.

Maybe you should get close enough to know that they also need true friends in their lives and though they look like they have it all, there may be something that they need and only you can give- yes, you!

The instances go on and on and on...

We are too busy judging people...

We judge people (un)knowingly, (un)consciously; the Good Book in all its wisdom and authority says: “Do not judge, that you may not be judged...” (Matt. 7:1) and we think that that judgement will come years after; that judgement comes the instant we judge another.

If it never occurred to you, then today it will hit you (or slap you right in the face) and you with all due respect are finding out that:

The instant the index finger stands accusingly judging another, the thumb, middle, ring and little fingers also lie down in all comfort accusing you and reminding you that:

“No matter how holy, righteous or ungodly you think you are, you are no better or worse than the person you accuse or praise...”

Get closer and stop judging!!!

For once, consciously STOP judging people and see how beautiful life would be...

By: Owusuaa.