So, you’ve probably heard of the coronavirus by now…right?
Well, it’s given us a pandemic this year, as you also may have heard by now, and it sucks. But I’ve noticed something that I believe is even more dangerous during this crazy year, and it’s not a physical virus. More of a spiritual and psychological virus.
Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
That is the first verse of the chapter, an entire verse dedicated to those words. God is pretty clear and direct in those words, but they continue…
“For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
With all that’s going on in the world today, it’s easy to look at someone else and see their choices as flawed or to feel that they should have made a different or better choice.
Who are they voting for? What is their political party? Are they wearing a mask or not? Did they change their profile picture to support such and such cause? Do they support these causes because they support that cause?
And to keep going…how do they look? How do they parent? How do they drive? What do they eat? How much do they weigh? How do they talk, joke, laugh, how are their manners, and a freaking million other ways by which we decide to judge someone every single day.
One of my favorite stories was told by President Thomas S. Monson (oh how I love and miss him). He told of a woman who looked out her window and saw her neighbor’s laundry hanging to dry. This laundry looked dirty, and the woman complained for days that her neighbor didn’t know how to wash clothes properly.
Her husband listened to her and one day decided to look out the window himself. He realized something, and the next morning when the wife looked out their window and told her husband that their neighbor had finally learned how to clean her clothes properly, he informed her that he had gotten up early to wash their windows. (There’s an adorable video HERE if you’d like to watch it – it’s one of my favorites.)
President Monson then says,
Are we looking through a window which needs cleaning? Are we making judgments when we don’t have all the facts? What do we see when we look at others? What judgments do we make about them?
Said the Savior, ‘Judge not.’ He continued, ‘Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?’ Or, to paraphrase, why beholdest thou what you think is dirty laundry at your neighbor’s house but considerest not the soiled window in your own house?
None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions.
There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: ‘Judge not.’
Thomas S. Monson, “Charity Never Faileth” October 2010 General Conference
Judge not.
There is only one Judge who understands all hearts, all intentions, all circumstances. He is perfect, and only He can judge others. Why are we imperfect humans trying to do the job of a perfect Being, the Son of God, even Jesus Christ? He’s literally perfect at His job. So where is it getting us to try to do a job that we are so miserably imperfect at?
“Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who worked among the poor in India most of her life, spoke this profound truth: ‘If you judge people, you have no time to love them.’ The Savior has admonished, ‘This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.’ I ask: can we love one another, as the Savior has commanded, if we judge each other? And I answer – with Mother Teresa: no, we cannot.”
Thomas S. Monson, “Charity Never Faileth” October 2010 General Conference
The commandment to “judge not” is in direct alignment with the commandment to love one another.
So the next time you see someone doing something that you don’t agree with…let it go. Even if you are 100% sure you are right and they are wrong. That is still just your perception. We cannot control anyone but ourselves. We do not know what that person is feeling, what their intentions are, or what they are experiencing. So continue doing what you know is right for you and let that be the end of it. Because in the end, we’re all just human beings – children of God – and we will be judged by the One who truly understands us. I find a lot of peace in knowing that all things will be made right one day because of Jesus Christ, and that it’s nowhere in my life’s mission to judge the actions of others. (And, it’s not in yours either ;))
In a hundred small ways, all of you wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her [or his] best to deal with the challenges which come her [or his] way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.
Thomas S. Monson, “Charity Never Faileth” October 2010 General Conference
Keep going. Do the best you can and let others do theirs. And remember that you are infinitely and unconditionally loved by a Savior who knows everything about you. Don’t judge others and don’t worry about others’ judgments of you; only worry that you are becoming like Jesus Christ and living a life that would please Him.
Love you.
