Daily Scripture

‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Daily Reflection

We are all guilty of this. Judging others comes naturally to humans, you could say we are hard-wired to do it. Before we even register that it is happening, we have already formed an opinion of the person walking towards us on the pavement, or meeting us in our place of work or leisure, or even (whisper it quietly) greeting us as we enter church! And our life depends on it, or could do, as we have but a split second to decide whether the person in front of us is friend or potential foe…and yet, and yet…

So often we get it wrong. The person we thought we would have nothing in common with, or even took an active dislike to, turns out to be our new best friend, or at least a thoroughly decent human being. We have so much to gain, and almost nothing to lose, from suspending that critical narrow-minded inner voice and trying to see the other as God sees them. With love.

Revd Ylva