We humans have been guilty of the most notorious judgments against one another. Some of us seem to think it is perfectly okay to impose our standard upon the lives of others. We assume we have the competence and the right to judge another. And yet, we all know there is something grossly wrong with this picture because none of us want to be wrongly judged.

Judging others really calls us into account because Jesus made it clear:

"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. "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.

Judging other by default reveals a flaw in our own character. It reveals our insecurities and weaknesses. When we judge others, we are making assumptions based on our unclear perception of what others should be like or how others should behave. We tend to evaluate, and denounce the character flaws and weaknesses we find in other people. The sad result is that we put an invisible wedge between ourselves and the judged which blocks our ability to accept and love each other in a full and healthy and Christian way. So, in lieu of embracing and encouraging and uplifting, we tend to point righteous fingers of accusation and discourage and pull down.

A second inherent problem with our judging others is that we do it from an unfair advantage point. We judge others on the basis of our own strengths. The areas of our lives that exemplify our talents, abilities, and habits are so important to us, we erroneous believe that others who do not share these qualities and priorities are deficient. And, any way you look at it, this kind of judging makes us feel superior. Any time we call attention to what we perceive as another