Don't Judge Me! I'm a Person Too!

Hi, my name is Christina and I’m a sinner.

I feel like I need to start introducing myself that way. I just need to be honest about that so people won’t expect me to be a shining example of holiness. Of course I want to be a shining example of holiness, I want to be a saint. But God’s still working on me.

One of the things I really struggle with is judging other people. I assume something, (usually something unkind) about someone without knowing the truth about their situation, actions, thoughts … etc.

I feel terrible about it, though. I know it’s not ok. I’m working on it with God’s grace and the incredible sacrament of Confession. Maybe someday I will overcome this vice so triumphantly that I’ll be the patron saint of un-judgmental, all compassionate souls! I can hope, right?

But until then … I have to pray to get me through my temptations and frustrations with myself. Something God revealed to me in prayer recently is how important it is to see the “personhood” of whomever I’m tempted to judge.

We are complex people. How many different emotions do we feel in the day? A lot! There’s so much about myself that I still don’t fully understand. I always have a million things on my heart and on my to-do list. The “person” I am is complicated.

And the same is true for every other person in this world! When we see someone, we have no idea what they’re going through. We don’t know what they’re struggling with. We don’t know their past. Once I heard a priest say in a homily, “Be kind, because you never know another person’s cross.”

So often I make a judgment about people and then realize the truth about the situation. I often see that they’re holier than me, nicer than me, humbler than me or suffering more than I am.

I realized that what I need to do is stop being so focused on myself and comparing myself to other people. If I would just stop thinking about ME for a minute my eyes would be open to see the beautiful souls, the “persons” around me.

They’re more than just annoyances, noise, obstacles or distractions. Every person is our brother or sister in the body of Christ; siblings deserve to be loved.

Pray for me! I’m praying for you.