Matthew 7:1 - Don't Judge

Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:1

The idea here is that each of us has a perspective clouded by our own failings and hangups. Until we deal with the logs in our own eyes, we will not be qualified to remove specks from others' eyes. But does anyone ever reach the point where his/her sight is clear enough to see justly? No matter how conformed to the image of Christ I am, I am still not going to be Him.

I struggle with not judging others' motives, especially if my own warped perception feels it can attach a label of "judgmental," "legalistic," or "closeminded." For a long time I have screamed "freedom" and "grace," all the while never supposing that I was simply becoming a legalist who lived on the opposite side of the spectrum, doing and being what I hate.

Some people may truly be like the Pharisees and deserve every single one of those labels, but with time I've come to realize that it is not my personal job to call them out on it. Imagine my astonishment on finding out that some people I had disregarded and resented turned out to be completely different than I first thought. Others changed from what they once were.

Part of loving others is giving them the freedom to hold their own stance, whether you fully value it or not. Time will tell. God will judge. Trying to take His job from Him is just exhausting. Focusing on relationships and a person's good qualities does a lot more to build up the body of Christ than throwing stones ever will.