Judging doesn’t make us correct.
Please reflect and share. How does this play out for you?
It’s easy to judge. We readily form opinions about what others should or shouldn’t do. We do so with the information available to us in the moment, which is most often incomplete. We also may ascribe motivations to others’ actions or inactions, to generate an explanation for ourselves of their behavior. Again, our inferences are likely to be inaccurate.
When we have no control over a situation, we may be even more apt to judge. Our lack of influence can leave us feeling unsettled and uncomfortable. Judging someone else allows us to direct our discomfort outward rather than inward. It shifts the focus from what we cannot do to what someone else should or shouldn’t do. Judging can help us feel better about our vulnerability and lack of power.
Today’s message suggests to me that judgment won’t make my opinions correct or improve anything. When I’m willing to allow others the benefit of the doubt, I make it easier for them to make good choices in what are often trying circumstances. I do the best I can and I can support and accept others by assuming they do too.
How about you? Do you struggle with judgment?