I’ve definitely seen this play a factor in my life. When you aren’t confident in a particular area of your life, it can make you prone to judge others unfairly in that same area out of shame. So what can we do? How can we break this cycle of judgment when it’s so easy to get wrapped into it? Well, there are a few things I’ve learned that might help. And as God’s children, we all deserve love, understanding, and empathy, not unrighteous judgment, condemnation, and isolation.
We have all been through (or are currently in) the refiner’s fire, whether because of our own mistakes, another’s actions, or circumstances beyond our control. Ironically, as much as we may unfairly judge others, most of us fear other people’s opinions about us! (Honestly, I even hesitated to include my story about getting into the wrong car out of fear of embarrassment!) Judging each other is all just one big cycle that goes around and around without benefiting anybody. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: “This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: It’s so very easy to look at someone’s lifestyle, appearance, or even their opinions and make assumptions about their entire character, especially if their actions or words differ from our own. But we need to be careful that we don’t judge or criticize people for their mistakes. Judging is important for us as humans, and we need to make wise judgments. And even though my friends and I still wipe away tears of laughter when we talk about our embarrassing moments, sometimes we judge those who have made other kinds of mistakes or bad decisions-we keep bringing up the bad decisions, and we keep judging the people who made them. I realize that I don’t, in any way, have the right to judge someone else for their past, current, or even future mistakes, sins, or transgressions. I realize how truly narrow the strait and narrow path is and how easily worldly distractions can take us off the path. Surprise! The more I experience in my life, the more I realize we all have imperfections. I’ve realized that we all have struggles, and I hope that I and all of us can be patient with each other’s imperfections. It’s been a few years, and my friends and family still bring that embarrassing moment up! But that mistake, along with other moments in my life where I have made mistakes, has taught me a few things about people. Have you ever accidentally stepped into the wrong car? If you haven’t, I don’t recommend it. I don’t remember much after that-probably because I was freaking out and silently praying that nobody watched me frantically grab my bag of groceries, throw open the car door, and all but sprint across the parking lot to my actual car and speed away. And then I froze in terror when reality hit me: But as soon as I went to put my keys in the ignition, I knew something was wrong.
I was in such a hurry that I didn’t even think twice when I opened my car door, set my bag of groceries in the front seat, and buckled my seat belt. I had just finished shopping, I had college exams to study for, and I just wanted to go home.
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