Negative and judgmental thoughts are
the cockroaches of the mind.
Judgmental thinking is a seriously flawed form of self-righteousness. I
believe that I am right and anyone who disagrees with me is wrong. The
odds of me being right all the time, and the rest of the world wrong, is
zero. Furthermore, no one wants to know whether I think they are right
or wrong. They would appreciate my help, but they don’t need me to
pronounce judgment.
I can never completely eradicate negative and judgmental thoughts, but I
can modify them using a gentle approach. I must be gentle with myself
and accepting of myself as I let go of this critical way of assessing
the world. When I slip back into negativity and judgment, I don’t beat
myself up. I accept this as part of my human condition. These types of
thoughts cannot long survive in a heart dominated by love.
Negativity and judgment are psychological cockroaches that inhabit the
dark nooks and crannies of my mind. I will never eradicate them
completely, but if I am loving enough and accepting enough, these pests
will rarely cause distress.
I will neutralize negativity and judgment
through the power of love.
Jesus had many things to say about judgmental thinking, and none of them
were good. He taught that God is the only one qualified to judge
how other people live, and if you are smart, you will mind your own
business and keep your judgmental thoughts to yourself. Even
better, you will leave the business of judgment up to God, and change
the focus of your life to love.
Jesus made it clear that none of us are qualified to act as judge or
jury on the compromises and choices that other people make.
Although we may not like what they do, only God is qualified to look
inside that person's heart and be their judge.
Jesus warned that the way we judge other people becomes the standard by
which we are judged. If we adopt a harsh and critical way of
assessing the behavior of others, the boomerang of judgment will soon
come back and hit us right between the eyes. When judgmental words
leave your lips, it's not long before they return, and you must taste
their bitter flavor as your own choices and compromises come back to
haunt you.
Two thousand years ago, religious authorities brought a woman to Jesus
and told him she was caught in the act of committing adultery. In
those times, the punishment for adultery was death by stoning. The
authorities asked Jesus what they should do. Should they put her
to death as required by the law?
Jesus said, "He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone."
Jesus wasn't condoning immorality or giving this woman a license to
continue in an immoral lifestyle. The real point of the story is
that no one is qualified to cast a stone in self-righteousness at
another individual.
God is the judge of how we live. He is fully qualified and able to
judge in a fair manner without our help. We don't need to become
religious police, judge, or jury. We need to love other people who
have problems and leave the judgment up to God.
Jesus went even further in his attack on self-righteousness. He
said the judgment we pass on to others becomes the standard by which we
are judged. People who slip into the trap of self-righteousness
set a very high bar over which they will have to jump.
Your chance of being perfect is zero, and if you are smart, you won't
criticize other people who aren't perfect. Whatever shortcomings
other people have, you would be wise to send them your love and leave
the judgment up to God.
The day you become perfect will be the day you have the right to become
the arm of God and cast the first stone.
