J is for Judging Others

Judging others. A two word phrase that could easily cause us to stumble. The Savior taught us, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged (Matthew 7:1-2). We need to be careful with how we look at and treat others. Often times, there is much more going on than what we can physically see. It is very easy to misjudge others at first glance or even after knowing them for quite some time.

There comes to my mind a story that was told by the prophet Thomas S. Monson:

"A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash.
'That laundry’s not clean!' Lisa exclaimed. 'Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!'
John looked on but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lisa would make the same comments.
A few weeks later Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, 'Look, John--she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.'
John replied, 'Well, dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up early this morning and washed our windows!'
...Are we looking through a window which needs cleaning? Are we making judgments when we don’t have all the facts? What do we see when we look at others? What judgments do we make about them?
Said the Savior, 'Judge not.' (Matthew 7:1) He continued, 'Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?' (Matthew 7:3) Or, to paraphrase, why beholdest thou what you think is dirty laundry at your neighbor’s house but considerest not the soiled window in your own house?
None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions.
There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: 'Judge not.'" ("Charity Never Faileth")

We all have areas in which we fall short. Do we want others to focus only on those things with which we struggle? We must not do this to others.

We must also be careful not to judge others according to their circumstances for our circumstances do not reflect who we truly are. A shinning example of this, for me at least, is the popular Disney character Aladdin.

Aladdin was a very poor young man living in the streets of Agraba. He was always scrapping for food and as a result was always on the run from the palace guards. Everyone referred to him as "street rat." Aladdin never took their criticisms to heart though, he continued to show kindness and compassion to others. In a moment of self reflection Aladdin states, "if only they'd look closer, would they see a poor boy? No siree! They'd find out, there's so much more to me." This proves to be quite true as later he is sought out as "the diamond in the rough." This phrase means "a person who is generally of good character but lacks manners, education, or style" (New Oxford American Dictionary). Aladdin didn't have the best in life and outwardly appeared to be someone of little consequence but with a heart of gold. We are implored to remember that people, "like so many things, it is not what is in the outside, but the inside that counts." This same concept is told to us in the Bible where we read, "the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

It is so important to remember how the Lord sees each individual so that we can look past how we naturally see someone. To quote Thomas S. Monson, "Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who worked among the poor in India most of her life, spoke this profound truth: 'If you judge people, you have no time to love them.' The Savior has admonished, 'This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.' (John 15:12) I ask: can we love one another, as the Savior has commanded, if we judge each other? And I answer--with Mother Teresa: no, we cannot."

This leads me to think of the Old Testament prophet Jonah. The Lord told him to teach repentance to the people of Ninevah, a very wicked city. He was very reluctant to accept the task, thinking the people would surely reject him and the words of God. After some persuasion from God, in loving being in the belly of a whale for three days, Jonah ends up going to Ninevah and preaching repentance to the people and that Ninevah would be destroyed. Upon hearing this, the people of Ninevah humbled themselves before God and repented of the evils they had done. God recognized their true change of heart and so turned away His anger from them and didn't destroy the city. Jonah couldn't let go of his judgement of the people though and was angry with the Lord for sparing Ninevah. He was so busy judging them by their past that he left no room in his heart to love what they had become. (For full account see Jonah.)

It takes a great deal of charity to refrain from judging others. As we grow more in our charity and love towards each other, "[we] will avoid judging others, criticizing them, or saying negative things about them. [We] will try to understand them and their points of view. [We] will be patient with them and try to help them when they are struggling or discouraged." (Preach My Gospel: "Charity and Love")

Each of us has judged and been judged falsely. It is never a pleasant or peaceful feeling no matter which side of it you're on. It is not our place to judge. "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10). Christ is the ultimate judge and all of His judgements are just and perfect, far different from our own. Therefore, let us leave it in the hands of Christ and judge less and love more.

I is for Integrity

Integrity. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, integrity is, "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles." In other words, one must have both honesty and strong moral principles in order to be a possessor of integrity. Furthermore, "integrity means thinking and doing what is right at all times, no matter what the consequences. When you have integrity, you are willing to live by your standards and beliefs even when no one is watching. (For the Strength of the Youth: Honesty and Integrity). Integrity takes a lot of faith and hope in Jesus Christ, for it is through him that all things are possible. Integrity is something that comes from the heart.

The author of Proverbs states, "The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them." (Proverbs 11:3). There's a lot of power in integrity and it affects not only the person exercising integrity, but also those around them. This brings to mind three examples of people whose integrity did just that.

The first example is that of one of the few righteous women mentioned in the scriptures, Esther. Now, you might think Esther being an example of courage. However, the principle of integrity takes a great amount of courage, for it is not always easy to do what is right. In a set of unique circumstances, Esther, Jewish by blood and religion, becomes the queen of Persia. The Kings right-hand man, Hamman, hardened the heart of the king against the Jews and got the king to sign a decree that all Jews were to be killed on a designated day, unaware that the new queen was also a Jew. Esther knew that her lineage and religious association was unknown to the king. It would have been so easy for her to say nothing, to not claim herself as a Jew. However, she knew the injustice of this decree and knew that she needed to stand up for herself and for her people. This meant that she would have to consult with the king. To go before the king uninvited was a crime worthy of death. After much fasting and prayer though, Esther went before the king and eventually told him how this decree would affect her and her family. In great mercy, the king repealed the decree. (For full account see The Book of Esther)

Esther's integrity saved not only herself but also her people. Despite the possible penalties that could have befallen her, she's stood firm in her faith and did was right even though it wasn't easy.

I saw a movie a little while back that truly impressed me with one man's integrity, entitled Les Misérables based off the novel by Victor Hugo. One of the main characters in the movie is Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean spent 19 years in prison and when granted freedom was still expected to keep parole. He chose to break his parole though to escape the burdens of being a branded man. Many years passed by and Valjean turned over a new leaf. He had become a great benefactor and the mayor of a small town. All is going well until his former jailer, Javir gets assigned to his town. Javir believes he recognizes Valjean but a few days later apologizes to him saying he thought wrong because they just caught the fugitive Jean Valjean. Javir departs leaving Valjean with a difficult choice to make. An innocent man had been arrested and thought to be him. He recognizes the easy path. He could let this man take this place, and he would never have to worry about running from the law again. He instead decided to turn himself in and in turn saved another man's life from being ruined. Valjean lost everything in doing this but he was able to hold on to what was most important, his integrity. Often times, integrity isn't the easy thing to do but it is always rewarding. If not physically, spiritually. 

That leads me to my next and last example of three men as told in the wonderful words of my father that can be found in the third chapter of Daniel:

"The king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a large golden image constructed which he wanted the people to fall down and worship when signaled by the playing of certain music.  Those not doing so would be thrown into a fiery furnace.

Certain Chaldeans informed the king that three of his appointed rulers in the land of Babylon did not fall down and worship the golden image as directed by the king's orders. The king called the three (Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-nego) before him and demanded an explanation.   Their response was a direct one:  'If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.' (Daniel 3:17-18) A simple statement filled with facts & faith.

Nebuchadnezzar was so enraged with their response that he had the furnace heated up seven times more than it was built to be heated.  The three Jews were taken and bound by some of the strongest men at the king's disposal.  They then were tossed into the furnace, which possessed such intense heat that the men who did the tossing instantly suffered a fiery death.

'Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was so astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?  They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.' (Daniel 3:24-25)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were called from the super-hot furnace by the king praising the name of the God of the three who were totally unharmed by the flames in the furnace...they didn't even have the smell of smoke on them!

A great account of three faithful men.  What hit me with this reading was this:  There are times in our lives that we are definitely put through the 'fire' with some of the challenges and obstacles we must face.  Yet, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, we are not left alone in the fire...heavenly companionship is also offered to us in our most trying times.  Conditions were better for the people after the furnace experience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego...just like we are better after rising from our own personal fiery furnace."

How could I word it any better than that? These men demonstrated great integrity and made things better for all those other believers of God around them.

To restate the scripture from Proverbs, "The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them." (Proverbs 11:3). Imagine what it would have been like for the Jews if Esther had remained silent. Imagine what it would have been like for that innocent man if Jean Valjean had not confessed who he was. Imagine what it would have been like for the people wanting to worship God if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abend-nego had not stood their ground. Take away their integrity and is the situation better? No! It is not. These people brought to pass much greatness because of their integrity. You have that same power my dear readers.

We are given much spiritual strength when we cleave to our integrity so let us be as Job and boldly proclaim:
"til I die I will not remove my integrity from me"! (Job 27:5)