Be Slow to Judge

From November 2007 - November 2010, my heart was in a continuous battle.  My feelings were always getting hurt, and my heart ached.  I was wounded because of the actions of some of my neighbors. I knew I needed to forgive, but my heart couldn’t figure out how to do it.

One day, I was thinking about Jesus and asked Him what I could do to come unto him.  Some thoughts started forming in my head.

In the story of the woman taken in adultery, Jesus showed me that he is slow to judge. He is the only one that has the right to judge, and he avoids it whenever possible.  He didn’t even point the finger at her accusers.  John 8:3-11 

Several scriptures went through my head:

“And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.” Moroni 7:18 

“For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.” Alma 41: 15 

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you.” D&C 82:1 

“Leave judgment alone with me, for it is mine and I will repay. Peace be with you; my blessings continue with you.” D&C 82:23 

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:” Luke 6:37 

“And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” 3 Nephi 12:7 

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” 1 Peter 4:8-9 

Next, I saw myself standing before the Lord at the judgment bar.  Christ was looking at his hand as if he were reading it and said, “Okay, let’s see how you want me to judge you. Let’s look at how you judged others.”

I hadn’t expected this. It was then that I realized I had created my own measuring rod. The mercy I had shown to others would be shown to me. My judgments would come back to judge me. Christ could only be as kind to me as I had been to others.  We are all judged by the same law but not according to the same criteria. We set the terms of our judgment when we judge others.

God wasn’t judging me on how well I kept the rules. My capacity to love and forgive was being weighed in the balance. I remembered the two great commandments.

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 

I realized that God isn’t going to judge me with this giant checklist of dos and don’ts.  I came to earth to learn how to love.

As this recognition filled my soul, I didn’t want him to go any further. I fell down on my knees and begged for mercy saying, “Oh, please Lord don’t judge me like I’ve judged others.” Love and forgiveness came flooding into my heart. I could see that I could open the door for the Savior to be merciful to me if I was merciful to others. My aching and unforgiving heart was healed.  I was being given a second chance. 

After that, I knew I didn’t want to judge, but I found myself judging many times a day. I didn’t realize I had such a big problem. If I stopped judging, I might not have very much to think about.

I prayed for help. The Lord gave me the antidote.

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 

This life affords me many opportunities to practice the principle of mercy and love. People are constantly acting like humans. Daily I find myself falling short, and it’s easy to see the mistakes of others. 

It is natural to feel affection for loveable people, but I continue to struggle because of the other type of people. This last group gives me much opportunity to grow and progress.  Even though it doesn’t feel like it, they really are the bigger blessing. They give me a greater opportunity to practice love. After all, isn’t that why I’m here?