AS WE JUDGE

“It is not by ourselves as we really are that we judge others,

but by an image that we have formed of ourselves from which we have left out

everything that offends our vanity or would discredit us in the eyes of the world. “

Somerset Maugham

 

“And would some Power the small gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,  . . .”

Robert Burns [Standard English Translation]

“Don’t judge me!” the carnal person exclaims when someone comments on their behavior or lifestyle.  They are distorting God’s principle at the same time calling attention to the hazards of judging others.  Christians are not prohibited from making judgments; we make them all the time. We judge truth from falsehood, right from wrong, wise from foolish.  We judge people and situations.

It is when we judge others that we take our greatest risk.  Often, we use ourselves as the standard of propriety which gives birth to such phrases as “I always. . .”, or “I would never. . .” We do not have enough information to avoid this error.  We can never know what God sees or what He thinks about others or about ourselves.

When we propose to know how God sees the actions of others we must exercise great care to examine ourselves first, not the sanitized version of ourselves that we hope others see, but ourselves as we really are.  Having fully taken on that task in its harshest light we will find we have little time or energy left to condemn others.

“Human beings judge one another by their external actions.

God judges them by their moral choices.”

C.S, Lewis