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Meditation 13: Luke 6:41-42 (judging others)

8/25/2009 8:03:27 PM

[Jesus said] “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

Luke 6:41-42

As I’ve said before (and it’s not original with me), the thing that bothers us the most about others is the thing that bothers us the most in ourselves. I find that’s true and it serves as a good signal for me. When I become aware I’m being unusually harsh in my thoughts or words with or about others, it normally means I’m dissatisfied with myself. I’m trying to stamp out of them what I feel is intolerable in me.

Jesus is lifting up the very human condition of judging others. It is so automatic that most of the time, we’re not even aware we’re doing it. It takes conscious effort on our part (and a request for Divine help) to begin to see the many ways we judge and discount others.

Judging others is rooted in our own unhappiness with ourselves. When we’re truly at peace and feel a deep connection to God and God’s creation, we can see things about ourselves and others that might need changing, but we do so with compassion, not censure. To believe we’ve changed something about ourselves and then self-righteously tell others they too need to change is a pretty good clue that genuine transformation hasn’t taken place.

The key word here is compassion. Nothing in this world is truly changed without it. True evolution of heart and spirit can never be accomplished by force, criticism or judgment; we need the absolute certainty that everything we do, whether good or bad, is shrouded in God’s love. Knowing God looks on us with compassion allows us to be vulnerable, and opens up the possibility that we can be more honest with ourselves and God. That’s the start of genuine transformation.

God of infinite love, I entrust you with all things, and with everything that makes me who I am, both the positive and negative. Give me the courage to live with compassion that I might relinquish the need to fix others, and learn to live with them in love.