So today I was doing some reading, and the following really struck a strong impression on me:
Granted, if we have read this, we know not to judge people trapped in sin. But is that all to it? How far does this scripture really go?
Then I started thinking, what if it's not just sin we judge, that will be wrought back upon us?
The obvious thing people will think of when I ask that question is judging other people by their appearance. Obviously the pretty, well-dressed blonde will look more appealing that the overweight mother-of-two wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. Moreover, most people, sadly, will be more apt to be kind to someone wealthy than someone in need.
But that wasn't the theory I chased down the rabbit hole.
Over the last 48 hours, something was said to me by someone I'm rather close to in response to something I had said. The response was rather out of character for the person, and kind of hurt when I heard it. And so, after absorbing what I heard fully, my mind began to stew over what aws going through that person's mind. I began trying to rationalize their reaction. Trying to make sense out of an unordinary statement from that person.
Several hours later, exhausted from trying to figure out what that person was thinking, and after reading that scripture, I realized, "What is the point? You are spending hours upon end trying to figure out what is going on inside another person's head, and yet you won't even spend 30 minutes trying to straighten out things in your own? Do you realize how foolish this is?"
It was quite an epiphany. And honestly, was exactly what I needed. While trying to understand what the other person was thinking was a valid endeavor, it was not worth the personal neglect. I know I'm guilty of this frequently. And that's probably why I sometimes break down, and yet have no clue what I do so.
And yet, I can spend so much time, and waste so much energy, trying to figure out something that, unless I can actually walk in that person's shoes, I will not accurately guess. Considering none of us have the power to manifest ourselves as another person, it's pointless.
Moreover, when we begin trying to dissect and understand the psyche of another person, and why they do or say certain things, we immediately start thinking the worst. Ok, maybe not everyone, but considering I've been in many conversations about this same subject, with people trying to figure out someone's reasoning, I've noticed this is the norm. When it comes to our emotions, and relationships with others, for the most part, we are pessimistic creatures. And as such, anything that backfires in our relationships, that are usually harmless, are picked apart like a scab until they are worse than they originally were.
It's just useless. If we were to spend even a fraction of the time we spent on this stuff on our own personal needs and problems, I believe that we would need even less time disseminating bad reactions from friends, because we would all be able to understand ourselves better, and be able to react better to different circumstances.
So, I guess it's time to take the plank out of my eye.
Do not judge, for you 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.For the longest time, I took this to mean, "If someone is sinning, and you are sinning worse, who are you to judge the other person when you are even further downhill than they are?" While I suppose this holds some merit, I began thinking further on this scripture.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
-- Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)
Granted, if we have read this, we know not to judge people trapped in sin. But is that all to it? How far does this scripture really go?
Then I started thinking, what if it's not just sin we judge, that will be wrought back upon us?
The obvious thing people will think of when I ask that question is judging other people by their appearance. Obviously the pretty, well-dressed blonde will look more appealing that the overweight mother-of-two wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. Moreover, most people, sadly, will be more apt to be kind to someone wealthy than someone in need.
But that wasn't the theory I chased down the rabbit hole.
Over the last 48 hours, something was said to me by someone I'm rather close to in response to something I had said. The response was rather out of character for the person, and kind of hurt when I heard it. And so, after absorbing what I heard fully, my mind began to stew over what aws going through that person's mind. I began trying to rationalize their reaction. Trying to make sense out of an unordinary statement from that person.
Several hours later, exhausted from trying to figure out what that person was thinking, and after reading that scripture, I realized, "What is the point? You are spending hours upon end trying to figure out what is going on inside another person's head, and yet you won't even spend 30 minutes trying to straighten out things in your own? Do you realize how foolish this is?"
It was quite an epiphany. And honestly, was exactly what I needed. While trying to understand what the other person was thinking was a valid endeavor, it was not worth the personal neglect. I know I'm guilty of this frequently. And that's probably why I sometimes break down, and yet have no clue what I do so.
And yet, I can spend so much time, and waste so much energy, trying to figure out something that, unless I can actually walk in that person's shoes, I will not accurately guess. Considering none of us have the power to manifest ourselves as another person, it's pointless.
Moreover, when we begin trying to dissect and understand the psyche of another person, and why they do or say certain things, we immediately start thinking the worst. Ok, maybe not everyone, but considering I've been in many conversations about this same subject, with people trying to figure out someone's reasoning, I've noticed this is the norm. When it comes to our emotions, and relationships with others, for the most part, we are pessimistic creatures. And as such, anything that backfires in our relationships, that are usually harmless, are picked apart like a scab until they are worse than they originally were.
It's just useless. If we were to spend even a fraction of the time we spent on this stuff on our own personal needs and problems, I believe that we would need even less time disseminating bad reactions from friends, because we would all be able to understand ourselves better, and be able to react better to different circumstances.
So, I guess it's time to take the plank out of my eye.
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