Most of us have become accustomed to making our decisions and judgments from our mind and our false self. When we do this, we become experts in observing others and their behavior, but we never take the time to observe ours because we can’t and often forget that it is possible.
We become self-absorbed instead of self-aware, which leads us to judge everything and everyone around us. One of the main ways many of us engage ourselves in this procedure is through gossiping about one another. Unfortunately, when we choose to do this, we are blinded to the fact that all our judging does is build the arena of our future failures, instead of leading us to the truth within. Imagine how different our lives and the entire world would be if all of us applied our minds and our creativity to what we do in the same way that we do it when we gossip?
We need to realize that we are all born into a reality that is bankrupt, and this reality leads all of us, unless we wake up, to think and believe that we are bankrupt too. We ease this feeling by comparing ourselves to others. We compare the severity of our sins with those of others. We live with the mentality that yes, we sin, but at least it is not as bad as what that other person did down the road. We compare our accomplishments or the size of our companies. We compare the size of our churches, the reach our ministries have, or how important or well known the names of those with whom we associate are. So instead of becoming students and observers of our own life we take on the roll of ill-qualified judges, who become well-seasoned professionals accurately describing and discovering the splinter in our brother or sister’s eye while failing to see the telephone pole in our own.
I would like to invite you to consider taking some time as the year comes to an end to reflect that the only one that is fit to judge chooses not to. So why not ask him for this coming year to help you see the way he sees reality and others so that you too may be able to extend the same grace that he continues to extend into your life?
Have a great and graceFULL New Year!
-pablo-
Photo by Miguel Pires De Rosa
