Monday, March 28, 2011

judge not

(just in case you think you are...)

An elder said: Do not judge a fornicator if you are chaste, for if you do, you too are violating the law as much as he is. For He who said thou shalt not fornicate also said thou shalt not judge.

The Wisdom of the Desert

Whooeee! I've been spending a lot of time with this one.

I remember when I was a little kid in Sunday school that I thought the same thing that elder taught. No one else seemed to think that way though. There was always a heirarchy of sins, somehow dependent upon the interpretation of those in the know. I was not in the know.

Lately, I've been watching how judgmental I can be. Not pretty. Sometimes I am getting better at holding my tongue and not spilling it all, but the judgments still rise to the surface of my mind.

I guess noticing them is progress. Holding my tongue sometimes is progress. Being uncomfortable with how often I am judgmental is also progress.

What's that they say? Progress not perfection?

Oh, I hope so.

2 comments:

Deb Shucka said...

Since perfection is not possible, and progress is essential to the life of a seeker, you're on the path, my friend.

Great sign!

graceonline said...

What fascinates me--about the posts I am catching up on today--is how appropriate each is to some of what I was experiencing on each of these days last week. It's as though, through some kind of psychic osmosis, your words were getting through and helping me bite my tongue.