Finding Freedom From the Need To Judge (Part 2)

Continued From Yesterday…

Whatever prejudicial judgments we make, whether against ourselves or others, it is always rooted in one of the egoic stages of consciousness. The inner nagging silent whisper of I am not enough for unconditional love looks for ways to become more deserving of love than others by critically condemning those we consider less than us, or complaining about the ones who make us feel inferior about ourselves.

When we meet people who we consider more significant than us, we try to attach ourselves to them to make ourselves more acceptable for love. If they reject or abandon us, we tear them apart as a way to enhance our sense of self and make ourselves deserving of respect in ways that they are not.

This judgmental mind is the cause of so much of our suffering. When we condemn others, we block off unconditional love from flowing freely through us. We become unconscious of divine love because we have made “otherness” our enemy. The truth that Christ is everything has been darkened, and we are unable to perceive our oneness with all things.

But when we awaken to love within us, we gain a nonjudgmental mind that is free of prejudice. Writers of early Christian texts portrayed this nonjudgmental mind as the mind of Christ. Since Christ is everything, there is neither Gentile nor Jew, slave nor free man, male nor female. Everything is Christ, so if I condemn another, I’m actually condemning Christ and myself as Christ. But when I’m enlightened to Christ in me, my thoughts about myself and others have been purified by unconditional love.

Therefore, as you become more attuned to divine love within you, you will embrace your own flaws and the differences between you and other people.

You will care less about how other people see you and find commonality with others who differ from you. Since what we judge we punish, you will not punish yourself nor withdraw love for others. Forgiveness, patience, and kindness will effortlessly flow through you, healing your heart and warmly touching the world around you.

Adapted from David Youngren, Awakening To I Am Love: How Finding Your True Self Transforms Your Wellbeing, Relationships, and Whart You Do. (page 170)