Judgment is nothing new. We can see its beginnings in the first chapters of Genesis. Into the harmonious setting of Eden enters the serpent, who comes with an attractive proposition. “If you eat of the fruit of this tree, you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” Adam and Eve fall for it. They cross the line and get what they wanted. Now instead of receiving what God gives as good, they must decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. They make judgments about God, about each other, and about themselves. They blame each other and they blame God. The judgmental spirit has arrived.
Mostly we don’t intend to be judgmental. We don’t really want to be that way. In our hearts we know that is not the way God calls us to be. Since Adam and Eve, being judgmental seems to be our default position whenever we feel ashamed or afraid.
What can help us change? What can change our judgmental heart into a heart of love?
Tomorrow: Making a change
Today we observe Monday of Holy Week. This message was adapted from “Judge Not” written by E. Louise Williams that first appeared in the March 2011 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.
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