I've always thought of myself as a non-judgemental person. The truth of the matter is, I'm not...I judge everybody.

Most people do, I think. How else do we choose our friends and avoid those people who bring negativity into our lives?

This has become more clear to me in recent days. One of my kids is having an ongoing problem with a co-worker. The guy, in my judgement is a rat. The scary part of that statement is that I don't even know the guy personally.

However, the mother instinct to protect my young kinda kicks into gear whenever I hear that one of mine is troubled in any way....and I make judgements.

She's not a child anymore, granted, but she is still MY child....so, I wanna run over this guy with a Mac Truck!
Now, that's pretty judgemental wouldn't you say?

It occurs to me that he probably has a mother...he probably tells her that he has a co-worker who drives him crazy. His mother probably wants to squash my kid. Its only natural.

Which of us is right...and which is wrong? To settle that issue, we'd have to bring in a neutral third party to make a judgement.

I don't think the sin is in the judgement itself, its more a question of how the judgement is made. What is the basis for my like or dislike of a certain person?

Is it financial status...social status, color, religon, education, personality, looks?

Am I as kind to the homeless beggar on the street as I am to the person who drives his Lexus to the country club?

Do I invite the unwed mother to my home for tea as easily as I would the nurse who delivers her baby?

I have no honest answer...I try to judge people by who they are, not what they have or what they can give. But, what bothers me is...how do I get to know the beggar...or the unwed mother? Am I brave enough to take the first step?

Sometimes yes...sometimes not.

Life is never perfect...all we can do is...all we can do.