Judge Yourself Gently
Often we pass judgment on ourselves so severely that it cripples our ability to try further or have the faith that we are qualified to ask for anything.
We must learn to judge ourselves gently.
As you know, we have the Bible commandment: Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Usually if we judge ourselves too harshly, we will apply no lesser standard as we appraise other people.
Before we judge ourselves too harshly let us consider the circumstances under which we find ourselves.
You are living in a world reacting to the effects that have resulted from causes that you did not create.
It started in the Garden of Eden where a major mistake was made.
We reap the effects of this initial cause today.
Additionally, the world is set up to operate with predator-prey relationships.
The lion, tiger, and many such animals are carnivorous and live by taking the lives of other creatures.
Even the little animals that we regard as prey are predators themselves.
The beautiful songbird often feeds by devouring living insects whole.
Possibly nothing except the earthworm and amoeba are the few living creatures, which do not live by taking the life of some other, living creature.
We accept this as a 'given' in the animal world, but ourselves take the lives of countless creatures in order to feed ourselves.
We eat cattle, hogs, chickens, lobsters, oysters, and many such things and cause these creatures to forfeit their life in order for us to have food on our plate.
We accept this as the way things are but the entire process has had a desensitizing effect upon us.
In a mindless fashion a man will take an axe and cut off the head of a chicken.
Probably the man has long ago ceased to regard it as a horrible thing to take the life of another living being.
As we become insensitive to the drama of taking the life of another creature, it is small wonder that from childhood up we were taught to be selective in how much regard to have for the life of other creatures.
No doubt your parents and grandparents delighted in a good roast, fried chicken, bacon, ham, lobsters, etc.
with ever regarding the cruelty which was probably visited upon the critter in the process of it becoming food on their plate.
We sort of inherited an acceptance of this being 'the way things are' and have never considered removing ourselves from the arena of this predator-prey relationship.
So to some extent we were all raised to be selective in our sensitivity to the needs of others.
As we learned the fine art of being selective in our sensitivity it is only natural that we extend this selectivity towards humans as well.
We judge some persons as being worthy of compassion and others as just junk human beings.
In my race we often refer to one another as 'white trash'.
If you are insensitive to the victims of the predator-prey relationships in the food chain, it is an effect that you were taught.
As you are selective in the matter of those that are the recipients of your mercy, this also is learned behavior.
I was not a perfect parent and neither were my parents.
Consider that their parents weren't either.
We can carry this analogy back as far as we wish.
Perfect parents did not raise Cain and Abel, and no one else got anything better ever since.
All of this constitutes causes that have had effects with an endless ripple effect.
You did not have perfect grandparents, neighbors, job associates, teachers, preachers, Sunday school teachers, and the list goes on and on.
The faulty input of these persons created effects in you.
Therefore as you judge yourself, take these things into account.
So as you judge yourself, consider that much, very much of your life as been resultant from your reactions to causes created by other people.
Thirty years ago there was a street intersection near my house that never had anything but a red octagonal stop sign.
The overwhelming majority of motorists obeyed the sign.
Then, one year someone who considered himself above the law disobeyed the sign.
It resulted in a traffic death.
Then, each year there was another death and then another.
Finally, and reluctantly, an electric overhead stoplight was installed.
Consequently now thousands of motorists burn extra gas while waiting for the light to change.
The sins of the few are visited upon the many! A classic example of this is airport security.
One man was caught on an airplane with a bomb in his shoe.
Now, because of the actions of this one man, millions upon millions of persons worldwide must take off their shoes for examination prior to entering an airplane.
The cost of personnel to monitor all of this is added to the plane tickets and government taxes as well.
All this because of the sins of one man.
This is an excellent example of a cause creating an effect.
Descriptions of such things could be endless.
As we consider the matter of judging not we must take into account first of all that to an extent we are the victims of causes enacted by others both historically and even in the present moment.
People who you might judge have been affected in the same manner.
It becomes more apparent why we should not presume to judge other people.
Only they themselves and God know the effects from causes which have come their way and which they are dealing with.
It is best to judge yourself gently and discontinue being selective in the matter of choosing to whom you will have mercy.
In the Bible we are taught to love all men and to judge not.
If you consider the mess we are all in, it becomes easier to follow these commandments.
We create causes ourselves and reap the effects.
If we have initiated inappropriate causes we can judge that we have done so and discontinue the causes while initiating appropriate causes.
Insofar as we reap what we sow, it is better to sow causes that result in a better set of effects.
So, judge yourself kindly and gently for you are the victim of much.
Consider that your neighbor and those you encounter are victims no less than you.
Learn to love yourself with a tender mercy and it will be easier to judge others gently also.
We must learn to judge ourselves gently.
As you know, we have the Bible commandment: Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Usually if we judge ourselves too harshly, we will apply no lesser standard as we appraise other people.
Before we judge ourselves too harshly let us consider the circumstances under which we find ourselves.
You are living in a world reacting to the effects that have resulted from causes that you did not create.
It started in the Garden of Eden where a major mistake was made.
We reap the effects of this initial cause today.
Additionally, the world is set up to operate with predator-prey relationships.
The lion, tiger, and many such animals are carnivorous and live by taking the lives of other creatures.
Even the little animals that we regard as prey are predators themselves.
The beautiful songbird often feeds by devouring living insects whole.
Possibly nothing except the earthworm and amoeba are the few living creatures, which do not live by taking the life of some other, living creature.
We accept this as a 'given' in the animal world, but ourselves take the lives of countless creatures in order to feed ourselves.
We eat cattle, hogs, chickens, lobsters, oysters, and many such things and cause these creatures to forfeit their life in order for us to have food on our plate.
We accept this as the way things are but the entire process has had a desensitizing effect upon us.
In a mindless fashion a man will take an axe and cut off the head of a chicken.
Probably the man has long ago ceased to regard it as a horrible thing to take the life of another living being.
As we become insensitive to the drama of taking the life of another creature, it is small wonder that from childhood up we were taught to be selective in how much regard to have for the life of other creatures.
No doubt your parents and grandparents delighted in a good roast, fried chicken, bacon, ham, lobsters, etc.
with ever regarding the cruelty which was probably visited upon the critter in the process of it becoming food on their plate.
We sort of inherited an acceptance of this being 'the way things are' and have never considered removing ourselves from the arena of this predator-prey relationship.
So to some extent we were all raised to be selective in our sensitivity to the needs of others.
As we learned the fine art of being selective in our sensitivity it is only natural that we extend this selectivity towards humans as well.
We judge some persons as being worthy of compassion and others as just junk human beings.
In my race we often refer to one another as 'white trash'.
If you are insensitive to the victims of the predator-prey relationships in the food chain, it is an effect that you were taught.
As you are selective in the matter of those that are the recipients of your mercy, this also is learned behavior.
I was not a perfect parent and neither were my parents.
Consider that their parents weren't either.
We can carry this analogy back as far as we wish.
Perfect parents did not raise Cain and Abel, and no one else got anything better ever since.
All of this constitutes causes that have had effects with an endless ripple effect.
You did not have perfect grandparents, neighbors, job associates, teachers, preachers, Sunday school teachers, and the list goes on and on.
The faulty input of these persons created effects in you.
Therefore as you judge yourself, take these things into account.
So as you judge yourself, consider that much, very much of your life as been resultant from your reactions to causes created by other people.
Thirty years ago there was a street intersection near my house that never had anything but a red octagonal stop sign.
The overwhelming majority of motorists obeyed the sign.
Then, one year someone who considered himself above the law disobeyed the sign.
It resulted in a traffic death.
Then, each year there was another death and then another.
Finally, and reluctantly, an electric overhead stoplight was installed.
Consequently now thousands of motorists burn extra gas while waiting for the light to change.
The sins of the few are visited upon the many! A classic example of this is airport security.
One man was caught on an airplane with a bomb in his shoe.
Now, because of the actions of this one man, millions upon millions of persons worldwide must take off their shoes for examination prior to entering an airplane.
The cost of personnel to monitor all of this is added to the plane tickets and government taxes as well.
All this because of the sins of one man.
This is an excellent example of a cause creating an effect.
Descriptions of such things could be endless.
As we consider the matter of judging not we must take into account first of all that to an extent we are the victims of causes enacted by others both historically and even in the present moment.
People who you might judge have been affected in the same manner.
It becomes more apparent why we should not presume to judge other people.
Only they themselves and God know the effects from causes which have come their way and which they are dealing with.
It is best to judge yourself gently and discontinue being selective in the matter of choosing to whom you will have mercy.
In the Bible we are taught to love all men and to judge not.
If you consider the mess we are all in, it becomes easier to follow these commandments.
We create causes ourselves and reap the effects.
If we have initiated inappropriate causes we can judge that we have done so and discontinue the causes while initiating appropriate causes.
Insofar as we reap what we sow, it is better to sow causes that result in a better set of effects.
So, judge yourself kindly and gently for you are the victim of much.
Consider that your neighbor and those you encounter are victims no less than you.
Learn to love yourself with a tender mercy and it will be easier to judge others gently also.