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Summarized by Kent Larsen
An LDS Stake President on Judging
GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI -- LDS Stake President Barry L. Griggs contributed a
sermon to the Biloxi, Mississippi Sun Herald yesterday, teaching his
community about the difficulty of judging others. In his essay, Griggs
suggested that everyone judges others, in spite of the Bible's admonition to
"Judge not, that ye be not judged," and suggests an attitude that can help.
Griggs says that making righteous judgements is difficult because to make
those judgements we would have to judge the heart. He says, "It is easy for
us to see what someone is doing, but very hard, most of the time, to realize
why he is doing it."
But, after telling the biblical story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector Jesus
dined with, Griggs continues, people make judgements about others daily,
"and many times with a lot less information than the people had about
Zacchaeus." He observes that many times poor judgement says more about the
person judging than about the judged. "Intolerance is often a sign of
weakness."
Griggs argues that we need to approach our lives confidently, but with a
good attitude. He quotes Mormon author Obert C. Tanner saying, "Only the
confident can afford to be calm and kindly; only the fearful must defame and
exclude." Griggs suggests that our attitude should be "assuming good faith,
assuming the best of others, that they want to do well, that they are doing
the best they know how."
Source:
Looking past what to why is key to happiness
Biloxi MS Sun Herald 12Oct00 P2
By Barry L. Griggs
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