“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. – Matthew 7:1
Recently a friend told me an interesting story on himself. He said a young man came into his place of business one day and asked if he was hiring. He said, “No, full up.”
The young man then said, “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure” he answered.
“Are you turning me down because of my appearance?” It seems the man was referring to the fact that he was more than a little overweight.
My friend replied, “Absolutely not, I simply don’t have any openings, that’s all.”
Driving home that night he thought about the young man. The more he pondered, the more he felt maybe, just maybe, the young man’s question was justified. He said to himself, “What if I did judge him? Could I, would I ever do that? After all, the nature of the work was somewhat physical and would be extra challenging for someone as heavy as this young man.”
The next morning, first thing he called the young man and told him what he’d thought about while driving home. He asked him to come back in and hired him. Now, several years later, he still is employed and has made an exemplary employee.
My friend says, ” I was humbled…and embarrassed that I had been so judgmental. I continually ask God to forgive me, I think the young man has.”
This story is probably not that unique. Many of us Christians have been guilty of passing judgment. And, in some cases, victims of being unfairly judged. Either or both, it’s not God’s way. As Jesus said in Matthew, “If you judge, you will be judged.” Tests our faith. And if you are wrongly judged, there’s a faith test in that as well. We must forgive those who wrongly judged us.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians to “examine ourselves to see if we are in faith”. If we are judging others because they don’t comply with our thinking or holding grudges because of being wrongly judged, we are not in faith. So, have you examined yourself lately? Where are you on the subject of judging others?
Jim Holman
