Don’t be so quick to cast judgment on others. Everything we say about others, God will judge us for as well. It isn’t easy to remember not to judge people by what they say or what they do. It’s almost even harder to not judge people for the things that they don’t say or the things they don’t do. For instance, how often do you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else saying, “man I’m so glad I’m not him or her”? Or how about, “I can’t believe she/he would do that. I’d never do something like that. Or even, “If I was her or him I’d walk away from her or him quicker than anything.” How about, “I can’t figure out why he or she doesn’t or didn’t dump him or her sooner. What’s wrong with them?” “I’m so glad I don’t have that job. His or her job sucks, why don’t they actually get a real job? How can they work in a place like that?” Does any of this sound like something you’d say? If it is, then it’s time for a change of heart.

But don’t worry. Every single one of us has felt that way. It’s how much effort we give to break that habit that is important. God can help you break the habit if you ask Him for His help. Let’s face it, we all need God’s guidance and God’s help not to judge others. Because if we judge others and don’t ask Him for forgiveness for it, then He will judge us in the same way, when we are in front of Him when we see Him decide our fate. He will either say “well done good and faithful servant” and welcome us into Heaven, or “away from me evildoer, I don’t know you, and damn us into Hell. I don’t know about you, but I sure as heck don’t want the latter. Yes, if you believe in Him with all your heart as your Savior, you are saved, but you don’t want the same judgment you cast on someone else in a moment of frustration or anger to be judged upon you by your Savior, do you?

It is easy to cast judgment on someone, but we hate it when the judgment gets cast on us in return. We love judging someone by the clothes they wear or the way they talk or the way they run their own life, but if someone ever dares to say something about us or to us about the way we dress, talk or run our lives, we automatically go into a mental fighting stance and get defensive because of our pride. Our pride can ultimately destroy us and our relationships with others if we aren’t careful. Before you think of saying something about someone else, think to yourself, “is this really going to benefit me or the other person, or am I just doing it because I’m angry and want to get back at that person?” Stopping and thinking about your angry words before you speak is another habit that is very hard to stay on track with. It’s not easy to be slow to anger and slow to speak when you’re already angry about something or itching to judge someone though, either.

Not judging people is one of the hardest habits to break. It can be seen as a fun hobby or a way to pass the time until it gets turned around and the fingers start pointing at us. Satan makes us feel good when we judge others because, in turn, it makes us feel like we are better than the person we’re judging. The truth is, none of us are any better than anyone else. We are all sinners by nature. We all aren’t perfect. The only person who didn’t judge was Jesus. He could have easily judged every single one of us, but instead, He chose to love us and to teach us how to live and how to love other people in the way He does. We can definitely learn things from Him if we allow ourselves to be open to change.

We’ve all been in that place where our words come out of our mouths and we instantly or later regret them. Remember, our words are tracible back to us and everything we say can and normally is used against us in an argument. So, it’s better to not say anything and just keep our mouths shut.

As hard as it is, keep your thoughts to yourself instead of going off in anger and remember the Bible verse, from Mathew 7:1-5 that says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” It is a harsh reminder, but a good reminder for us to stop judging others so quickly.

If we judge others, they will judge us back. If we judge others, God will judge us in the same way. It is so much better to show love than to judge.