"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." -- Luke 6:36

Who here is not quick to judge? Definitely not me. It's one of the easiest thing to do in our everyday lives. We judge each other by how we look, how we dress and how we react to situations. Without us guarding our thoughts, we judge each other almost instantly. A beggar is lazy, a co-worker is snobbish, our family members are know-it-alls.


I come from a background of being bullied when I was younger. I was the smallest in my class and it gave people permission to tease me, take my belongings and put them in the trash and even corner me and physically hurt me. I carried all these baggage and I dismissed them as evil people put there to make my life miserable. I carried the hurt and hatred with me til adulthood and I still do cry when I see movies where the protagonist is being bullied. It wasn't till I got in touch with my bullies through Facebook that I was able to reconnect with them.

Out of spite, I accepted their friend requests. I wanted to stroke my ego and wished that they had a miserable life and that they deserved what's coming to them. What I found out has humbled me tremendously. Some of them had thriving careers and now have a beautiful family, but most of them also had troubled pasts. Maybe it was the reason why they were acting they way they did in the past. I carried all the hatred towards people who were also victims themselves. I prayed to God to take away the bitterness in me and see that person for who she is, a beautiful product of a difficult past. I thanked God for opening my eyes on my mistakes and made me realize how I automatically judged a person.

Today, I am very careful not to judge a person as quickly. Granted that people around us don't make the best decisions and they will hurt us in some form or another. But just as God forgave me countless times, I will keep in mind that I was forgiven to be able to forgive.

Father, thank You for Your mercy. May we remember how generous You have been with Your love and forgiveness. May we be able to extend such love and generosity in forgiving and understanding the people around us. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.