Judge not, the workings of his brain
And of his heart thou canst not see;
What looks to thy dim eyes a stain,
In God�s pure light may only be
A scar, brought from some well-worn field,
Where thou wouldst only faint and yield.

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?
Luke 6:41(NIV)

�He just doesn�t try. He needs to get God in his heart,� I said, �then things would work out for him.� Truth of the matter is that I don�t know how hard he tries. What is easy for me may be very difficult for him, so he really may be trying harder than I am. I do not know his relationship with the Lord. I had better search myself.
Take a day to listen to yourself. I did this, and by the end of the day, I was appalled at the number of times I judged a brother or sister. Some of my judgments were not even spoken, but were only a thought as someone passed in my view. Others were sent flying in the form of gossip as I talked with loved ones throughout the day. A few were spitefully said to the one being judged. I had not started my day intending to judge or hurt anyone. This kind of negative thought had become so much a part of me that I did not even realize I was doing it most of the time. I judged the president of the United States, the homosexual community, my blood brother, and my son-in-law to name a few.

Phillippians 4:8(NIV) says, �Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.�

When you follow this type of thinking, little room remains for the kind of judgmental thought I was so use to. As I looked past Satan�s negative thoughts, I saw so many good gifts from God that I had not allowed myself to fully enjoy. Each kind smile, each bubbly laugh, each warm handshake or hug, each sermon so lovingly prepared by the pastor, each helpful suggestion and much, much more. If you�re busy enjoying the positive gifts, you don�t have time to grumble about the negative.

Joan

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