Judging

When I was first beginning kindergarten, I was excited by the opportunity to meet new kids and have new friends. One day, as I was riding home on the school bus, I remember a young boy sitting in front of me. Desiring to make new friends, I introduced myself. Without any warning, and to my surprise, instead of welcoming my greeting, this young boy punched me in the nose!

From that experience, and numerous others, I have learned of the consequences that can stem from rash judgments. In The Book of Mormon, we learn that "...the same that judgeth rashly shall be judged rashly again..." The word "rashly" signifies acting hastily without due consideration. In our world of comparisons, competition, and ambition, it is often difficult for me to avoid judging. When I do so, I often picture myself as the middle-man. For example, I consider myself to be sufficiently social. Anyone who is more social than me, in my mind, is only seeking attention. Anyone less social than I am is anti-social. Another example: I consider myself to be happy. Anyone more happy than I am is hyper, while anyone less happy than I am, I consider to be depressed. I think one can easily see the irony and rashness of my judgments and comparisons.

In The Book of Mormon, I believe that we can find the best method of judging others. From Moroni 7: 19 we read, "...lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not..." For me, this passage of scripture signifies my responsibility as a son of God to search out the good in everyone. As I focus more on the good in others rather than the "obvious" faults I may see, I am able to free myself from judging rashly, and ultimately from being judged rashly myself.

I know that Christ, as our ultimate judge, will judge us in a loving manner. He will look at the good that each of us attempted and will understand with perfect clarity the faults, weaknesses, tendencies, and temptations that we experienced in this mortal life.