Quick to Judge Others?

And now you know the rest of the story...

Thanks to author Jack R. Christianson, I can tell you a story about a man named Jack who cherished his bird-hunting dog, Cassie. Jack frequently boasted about Cassie's talent because he was so proud of her. Jack took Cassie to his hunting club and asked several buddies to see her so he could demonstrate her excellent skills. After getting to the club, Jack let Cassie out to play while he went inside to sign in.

When it was time to start, Jack was eager to demonstrate Cassie's incredible abilities. Cassie, though, was acting oddly. She wouldn't comply with any of Jack's orders even though she typically did it voluntarily. She only wanted to stick by his side.

As a result of his frustration, embarrassment, and anger with Cassie, Jack immediately urged that they leave. 

Jack was further irritated that Cassie refused to jump into the truck's bed, so he grabbed her and threw her into the kennel. All the way home, he was enraged as those around him made fun of his dog's antics. She had had excellent training, and serving and appeasing him had been her only motivation in the past.

As usual, Jack checked Cassie for bumps, ticks, and injuries as soon as he got home. He placed his hand on her chest and felt something wet before discovering that his hand was stained with blood. Cassie had a large, wide cut that went all the way to her chest bone, which shocked and horrified him. On her front right, he discovered another wound was right down to the bone.

Jack sobbed as he held Cassie in his arms. He was ashamed of his poor judgment and treatment of her. At the hunting club, Cassie had been acting differently than she usually did because she was hurt. Her agony, sorrow, and wounds had affected her behavior, which had nothing to do with a lack of love or a desire to obey.

How many wounded people have you met and didn’t know yet, still judged? How frequently do we cast judgment on others based on their outer behavior and actions—or lack thereof—when, if we truly knew, we would behave with compassion and a desire to alleviate the situation rather than contributing to it?

Not all injuries and handicaps are visible, many are emotional, experiential, and spiritual.

Regarding judging others, God says, “I saw that. I will deal with them. That’s not your job.”

Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful, mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13)

Even Jesus did not judge, knowing that judgment was the Father’s job.

As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. (John 12:47)

Simply put, God is the ultimate judge and will, on His terms, provide justice and judgment. The sooner we take this responsibility off us, the sooner we will find true love, compassion, and the blessings God has for us.

Christians are told to judge Christians lovingly. But in most situations, we must be very slow to judge, exercising great care and restraint. Our sinful flesh has a hair trigger to judge others. We must have a healthy suspicion of our pride, and keep Jesus’s words ringing in our ears: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt 7:1)

This is especially important because many situations we face are not clear-cut. The line between judging hidden heart purposes and calling out sin often looks ambiguous. And when it is, it is best to be slow to judge.

But let us not judge other Christians’ hidden purposes of the heart as wrong simply because they disagree with us or our beliefs. We may discuss and persuade, but we may not judge. God will judge. It is for Him alone to reveal what is hidden and commend or rebuke.

Let us “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, [bear] with one another in love” (Eph 4:2)

So, when it comes to justice, who is the judge?

So, can we all go through a bit of judgment detox for today?

There may not be a clear line between when to judge and when not to. That line may be a bit fuzzy. But when you feel yourself judging others, proceed slowly and cautiously because you are in a danger zone. Simply having a mental red flag go up would be fantastic for now! 

If you can grasp the concept of a “red flag” to be aware of, that alone will make you think: Who should be the judge and administer justice, me or God?

Just like Jack and his dog Cassie, we often don’t know what pain, shame, and blame that person you are judging is going through at the time.

Judgment detox–it will improve all your relationships. Leaving God to be the judge and provide justice, not you, will also make Him happy.