Matthew 7:1, “Judge not that ye be not judged.

First of all, according to my quick google study, this is one of the most misquoted bible verses ever, most people think its “Judge not, lest ye be judged” but its really, “Judge not that ye be not judged” so if you really think about it, it is saying don’t judge others and then you yourself can be assured of not being judged. Ah, if only it were really true.

It is really not like me to post a blog with a bible verse but I have gotten to thinking a lot about judgment (pause as I double check the spelling) because I have been doing a lot of it. Nothing overt, nothing that would really get me into trouble per se, but making up my mind about a situation before I knew all the facts and if I had just waited a few minutes, hours or days things would have been made clear to me. I am not deliberately being obtuse, the details of what I am describing are personal and I don’t plan to share them. Just focus on you for now. If you need an example, how about the panhandler on the side of the road at the red light, do you look at him/her and think, you look able-bodied, why don’t you get a job? Or do you think about the suffering they must be going through and how hard it is to ask for help? Now let’s take it to a more personal level, do judge your friends by the house they have, the car they drive or their seemingly “well off” lifestyle or do you think about it as just another aspect of who they are which is part and parcel of your friendship?

I am not saying one or the other is right, I am just asking you to think about it!