The command: Judge Not

 

The Practice: Replace judgment with grace and acceptance this week

 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Jesus teaching #8

 

A few years back I tried to give up judging as much as humanly possible for the lent period. I quickly realized how much I judge and how subtle and full of nuance judgment is. I soon realized I am addicted to judgment, and that some judgment is of a healthy nature and a subtle twist can be utterly toxic. Try to see if you can set your intention to give up judgment for just one day or one week, if you really want to challenge yourself. Lets learn what Jesus meant in this teaching, practice it and learn about how addicted we are to this behavior. Jesus invites us into a new internal freedom; it’s ours for the taking. Don’t see this as a command as much as an invitation to deeper, healthier relationships and a world of compassion. It seems to me that grace and acceptance just may be the opposite of judgment and if judgment is measured back, so is grace.