By Katie
Why do humans judge people? Because it’s sin and we’re all sinners.
Sometimes we do it subconsciously and sometimes we do it consciously. You can be sitting down watching a movie and judge the actor playing the character’s part, or in a store and someone walks by if they don’t reach your standards of looks you sometimes automatically turn to bad thoughts, even if not meaning too. There are many topics someone can judge a person on, by a person’s hair, face, color of their skin, nails, or even their nose! If they have a birthmark on their face we stare at it. Their clothes are not your style so you scoff and think, “She/He has no sense of style.” The list goes on. There is a lot you can judge a person on not, and just them, but even their home or family.
What should we do if we catch ourselves judging?
There are two ways to judge, out loud and silently. If you do it out loud and you become a bully, even if not meaning to or you were just joking, it will still hurt. Apologize; it’s simple. But for our human nature it is far from easy or simple. We are prideful, some more than others, and I know because I am very prideful and it takes a mountain moving for me to put my pride aside long enough to do what’s right. I can proudly say I’ve moved a lot of mountains recently. It’s easier now that I’m getting more mature, to just let it go and know it won’t be the end of the world if I apologize even when I don’t see fault in myself. Then there is silently judging. When this happens you should ask God for forgiveness because he knew the thoughts you had and you already know it’s wrong. I have heard a few people say you should say sorry to the person you judge silently, but I disagree. Why tell a person you had bad thoughts about them? That could ruin a person’s mood, just say a prayer and let it go.
We don’t only judge the person by their acts but by their family’s acts. For example, if you take a drug addict mother and a father in prison for murder, they had a son. Most people will jump to the conclusion he’s bad and shun him. Yes, he may be bad but then again if you never give him a chance to prove himself, how will you know?
There are people that in our minds deserve judging, but that is not up to us though.
Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
If we are always thinking nasty thoughts and condemning others, then we’re going to get it right back just like the saying “You get what you give.” Of course there are people that do follow God to the best of their extent and they get horrible stuff back in return, so even if you act as best to your ability you may not get much back on Earth, but in heaven you’ll get your treasures!
The resolution for judging:
Out loud: Apologize to the person’s face, ask for forgiveness from God, and try your best to not let your tongue speak evil words.
Silent: Ask God for forgiveness and teach your mind to think more positively.
These are my thoughts of course, and I could be inaccurate. My thoughts are only one of many. I just wanted to let people know, stop and think before you do something you could regret. Regret you can never get rid of, so before you say something about that boy’s clothes or that girl’s hair, just think.
Katie’s Bio: My name is Katie Dodd I’m 16 years old, and live in Clifton, Tennessee. My hobbies are reading, writing, walking, occasionally riding horses, and a lot of other activities. My passions are animals first and then comes writing. I love making random stories up or writing poetry to express feelings. I have a lot of goals in life like finishing college, and opening my own vet clinic and animal shelter. I also want to get one of my stories published. I can get very passionate about things like the government and my beliefs. I like debating, and just sharing what I know. Out of all the subjects in school I’d say History is my favorite, it may be the past but it’s what shaped the world and changed a lot of things.