May 22, 2020
Quick to Judge
“Judge not lest you be judged.” Matthew 7: 1
As reported by writer Sarah Vowell in the Washington Post, Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, as a young senator, once complained about a fellow senator, a Republican.But the longest-serving Senate majority leader, the late Mike Mansfield from Montana, counseled him to find the good in his colleagues , to see “what their state saw” in voting for them, adding, “… Joe, never attack another man’s motive, because you don’t know his motive.” Mr. Biden later wrote, “It’s probably the single most important piece of advice I got in my career.”
It’s an excellent piece of advice for us all, especially in this time, when there is the temptation to criticize the motives of others in their handling of the matters that confront us all. We normally don’t have enough information to determine when and why certain decisions are made. And so the more we cut others some slack and offer the benefit of the doubt, the more trust builds up among everybody.
We all at one time or another have felt the judgment of others, and usually it’s no fun being on the receiving end of that judgment. But Jesus offered a better way when He said in Matthew 7, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
No matter the circumstances or conditions, it is a lesson, when practiced, that heals and unites.
Prayer: O, Lord, we know of the temptation to judge too quickly. Teach us to hold back from our judgment and to love, understand, and accept more. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.