7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

³ “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? ⁴ How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Matthew 7:1-5

Dear God, one thing I’ll say for the struggles and sorrows in my life. If they’ve done nothing else, they have humbled me. Oh, how they have humbled me. Especially my failures in parenting. I know I tried, but I also know that in so many ways I experienced failure. So when I see other parents maybe doing something with which I disagree, I still have nothing but love for them. I can’t judge them.

But I still find plenty of ways to judge people. Lately, it feels like I am judging the judgers. I probably need to think about that a little.

When I think about judging I think about “the dart scene” in Ted Lasso when the main character, Ted, schools a bully on judging people before you know them.

It’s one of those scenes where it’s easy to sit there as Ted tells the bully to “be curious, not judgmental” and say, “Yeah, Rupert! Be curious, not judgmental.” But then aren’t we judging Rupert? Should we be more curious about him and why he is acting the way he acts? When I see the person who is displaying hateful attitudes or doing something that offends me, shouldn’t I be more curious and leave the judging of them to you?

Father, let these words ring in my ears today: “Be curious.” Help me to be curious and to not take anything–ANYTHING–at face value. Give me your eyes. Give me your ears. Give me your compassion. And give me your words.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen