Deuteronomy 1:17
In rendering judgment, do not consider who a person is, give ear to the lowly and to the great alike, fearing no man, for judgment is God's.
This is something that we all think we know. We know that we shouldn't make judgements on people based on how they look or where they come from. We know that we shouldn't jump to conclusions about people based on what we see about them. But knowing that we shouldn't do something is different from not doing.
When I start to think about this I realize that I do this everyday without even realizing it. I may not act on my judgments, the judgments might not even be negative but I make them constantly. I make judgments (good and bad) about everyone I see throughout the day. I make judgments about a person's life based on how they look and act. This will prevent me from ever getting to know them and move beyond their outward appearances. This can be harmful for me and for the people that I am judging. It is something that I do subconsciously with out thinking about it.
It is especialy harmful when the person judging is in a position of authority. If I find this so hard to do in my own life, I couldn't imagine how hard it must be for people who are in a position that they must act on and enforce their judgment like a police officer or a judge. It seems like it would be so easy to be influenced by the way a person acts, the way that they dress, their age or a million other factors. It is so important that they can render their judgment fairly without consideration of who the person is.
Dear Lord, Help me to not render judgment on others. I pray that those in positions of authority are able to render their judgment with out consideration of who the person is.
