When You Find Yourself Judging Other People

Jason Wright stopped at the same convenience store

most mornings. Same routine, every day, same clerk behind the

counter. Her name was Sherry. As far as Jason could tell, she

didn't want to be there. She rarely smiled, and she kept her

answers short. Morning after morning, he filled his cup and

laughed, and somewhere along the way, he had decided he knew her.

She was just unfriendly, probably hated her job, too. One

morning, on a whim, he asked the manager about her. Why did

Sherry always seem so down? The manager stopped what she was

doing and looked at him. We'll come back to what she said, but

first,

welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Léger.

I've been wrong about people before. I size people up pretty

fast. I can watch somebody for 10 seconds, the way they talk to

a waiter, the way they drive, and I've already written a

little summary of who they are in my head. But because of

reading people, making a lot of ways of reading people made it

second nature. The trouble is that a quick read of a stranger

is almost always missing the biggest part of the story. So

I've had to learn to hold my verdicts until I get to know the

person a little better, if I can, because I've been wrong about

people more times than I can count. And you know how this

goes. You're standing in a checkout line or scrolling

through a feed, and you catch yourself passing judgment on

somebody you've never met. The way they're handling their kids.

The opinion they posted. In one second flat, you've tried them

and moved on. And half the time, you didn't even notice it until

you were already done. You might think it's because of your great

insight. And most of the time, though, you're just guessing.

Paul asked the Romans a question that stops you cold when it's

aimed at you. Listen to Romans 14.4. Who are you to condemn

someone else's servants? Their own master will judge whether

they stand or fall. And with the Lord's help, they will stand and

receive His approval. Who are you to judge someone else's

servant? So look at what Paul does. Every person you're

tempted to size up belongs to somebody, and that somebody is

God, not you. When you pass judgment on a stranger, you're

stepping into a role that was never assigned to you. And

you're picking up a gavel that belongs to the judge of all the

He hasn't handed it to you. And notice how the verse ends. To

their own master they stand or fall, and with the Lord's help,

they will stand. Paul goes further than telling you to back

off. He tells you what God is up to in the person you are writing

off. God knows them, and will size them up Himself. So while

you were deciding they were a lost cause, God is doing right

by them. There's a mercy in this for you also. You wouldn't want

to be judged by a stranger's ten-second read of you on your

worst morning. Neither would the person in front of you.

Everybody you meet is dealing with something you can't see

from where you're standing. And that's exactly what Jason found

out about Sherry. The manager told him what was going on in

her life. Sherry had lost both her parents that year. She had

lived with them and cared for them her whole life, and within

a few months, they were both gone. The woman Jason had ridden

off as a grouch had been grieving the people she loved

most, and he never once thought to wonder why. He had judged

another person just after her whole world caved in, and he had

gotten it completely wrong. Jason walked out changed. Sherry

had not done a single thing differently, but he had finally

seen her. He'd finally seen her. Sherry hadn't changed a thing,

but Jason did. The grouch he'd invented in his head turned out

to be a daughter who had just buried both her parents. He'd

been standing three feet from that grief every morning and

never knew, because he had already decided he had her

figured out. And that's what judgment does. It closes the

case before you've heard any of the evidence. So here is today's

challenge. Watch for the moment today when you catch yourself

sizing someone up. It may be the driver or the person whose post

annoyed you. When you feel that verdict forming, stop and say it

to God, that it wasn't mine to hand out. Then ask him for one

thing, a more grace-filled view of the person you were judging.

You don't know what happened to them this year. They may have

buried someone as well. Assume there's a story you can't see,

because there always is. Father, forgive us for the verdicts we

hand out on people we don't know. We size them up in a second and

miss the story you see clearly. Thank you that every one of them

belongs to you if they are in Christ, and that you're working

to help them stand. Give us your eyes for people in front of us

today. And when we catch ourselves judging, help us hand

the gavel back to you where it has always belonged. In Jesus'

name, amen. If Daily Devotions for Busy Lives has been an

encouragement to you, would you take a minute and leave a rating

and review? It helps more people find these devotions, and it

only takes a moment. I'd be so grateful. Thanks for joining me

on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, the people

you're tempted to judge belong to God, not you, and every one

of them is dealing with something you can't see. Come

back next time for more encouragement to help you live

grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great

day.