“When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it!”
Judging others—we all do it, whether we like to admit it or not. In a world full of people who are very different from you, it can be hard to be Christlike and “judge not.” In “The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf discusses ways to avoid judging others.
It is difficult to see others—especially those we dislike or disagree with—the way the Lord sees them, says President Uchtdorf. But he emphasizes that it is essential to do so. He points out that “when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate.”
In the words of the Apostle Paul, judging others is “inexcusable” (Romans 2:1). Who are we to judge others when we are sinners, too? The people you are judging are just sinning differently than you are, and the only person qualified to judge them is the Lord.
President Uchtdorf provides an incredibly simple solution to the problem of judging others: just stop it. He says, “We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children.” When we follow Christ’s example and look at others with the love that he has for them, it becomes a lot easier to “just stop it.”
There will always be people you disagree with. But next time you feel judgment stirring within your heart, remember that we are all imperfect. Remember that the Lord loves that person just as much as he loves you. Remember to “just stop it.”
Watch or read President Uchtdorf’s talk “The Merciful Obtain Mercy.”
Source: lds.org
—Amy Davis, Mormon Insights
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Learn more from President Thomas S. Monson about judging others in this Mormon Message: “Looking through Windows.”
I remember when President Uchtdorf gave this talk! I loved it then, and I love this reminder. It’s so easy for our “natural man” side to look for faults or reasons to criticize others. If we would just stop, all of that contention and negativity could be avoided. It sounds simple, but in reality, it can take a lot of time and effort to train ourselves to stop those automatic judgments from happening.
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The scriptures you shared need some context… for the apostle Paul then goes on and teaches us how and to what extent we should judge in that same chapter… the idea that we don’t judge is false, you throw out personal judgment, accountability, and spiritual discernment, if you get rid of judgment all together… a better thing to say is judge not unrighteously. That is what the Savior actually taught. The JST of Mathew 7 gives us a clearer understanding of what he meant.
Thank you for adding some context, this is a great point!