Heaven Down To Earth - Words of Spiritual Guidance

by Rev. Paul Werner

Chapter 10 - Judgment: Sorrow or Joy?

God peers beyond the frontiers of each of 'our lives and sees our triumphs as well as our shortcomings. Yet He views us far differently from the way we scrutinize each other. We are extremely fortunate that God is our judge. If any one of us would act as judicator in His stead, our perception of true righteousness would fall short many times. God is not nearly as condemning as we are. We have such coarse hearts and are virtually incapable of loving with true compassion.

God is jurisprudent, but our ability to forgive unfortunately is severely underdeveloped. We are not able to easily recognize a pure and beautiful heart or discern love when it is bestowed upon us. Even though we lack perception, we proceed judging ourselves and others based on ignorance and shallow standards of value. Yet the verdict we hand down does not necessarily reflect what God thinks or feels about us.

Salvation is a result of judgment. Judgment involves confronting the truth. After such an encounter it becomes necessary to make needed adjustments. To do so may be irritating or even cause some major discomfort, but keep in mind that the moment after, liberation will begin to penetrate your heart. Judgment should never be feared. Most people fail to look at the other side of the coin: salvation. Yet if you can adopt this viewpoint, you will face judgment with hope and positive expectation.

We are judged according to whether or not we live in compliance with God's laws. The people to whom you witness may subconsciously detect that you might judge them for their beliefs or lifestyle and consequently, they rush away. At all costs, they want to avoid any condemnation and its consequences. Little do they know that just beyond the boundary of judgment is absolution. They do not realize that if they could only persevere and reach the summit of the mountain, they would not only be showered with happiness and overwhelmed by a feeling of harmony with God, but also regain their free will.

Do not worry whether someone is right or wrong, neither be judgmental. If someone needs help, pray for him. If you decide to sit in the judge's seat, you will probably be examined and criticized yourself.

It is natural that we do not develop an intimate relationship or friendship with every person we meet. Yet if we can base our lives upon the Principle, we will automatically hold respect for every person as a son or daughter of God. Only primitive people downgrade others. For example, I fiercely oppose the ideology of communism. I detest certain concepts found in various religions because they are neither ethical, moral, nor righteous. Although I abhor any belief or dogma that turns people away from God, I do not hate the people who believe in those ideologies.

Refrain from being intolerant of people. Even if a person calls himself an agnostic, every individual believes in something. Those who are religionists want to come to God; but they do not want to be assessed merely by the faith they espouse. They may be ardently walking a spiritual path, but have been misled by someone, or themselves made inaccurate conclusions based on some misunderstandings. Be careful pronouncing judgment; actually none of us have the right to appraise another person.

The main purpose in visiting a doctor is not to receive accusation, yet any physician usually points out the mistakes we have made in caring for our bodies. He must also inform us if we have a serious condition or sickness. However, he can also reassure us that we will be restored to good health if we faithfully take the certain medicine or follow the treatment he prescribes. The healing process then begins by visiting the doctor.

Judgment is salvation. It is the outstretched hand of God. He supplies us with many spiritual doctors and encourages us to visit certain specialists who will help take away our spiritual illnesses through designated remedies and therapy. Don't be afraid. It is not necessary to hide all your ailments; they are already exposed to God and He has already diagnosed your sicknesses. He is waiting to discover how quickly you will become well.

You may be less likely to judge your brother or sister because you feel that you both live in glass houses. If you were to throw a stone, it could shatter the glass of your peer's house, and you might fear retaliation. Yet if your brother or sister becomes negative about the Unification movement or misunderstands the Principle, don't be afraid to talk to him or her, even if your words may sound like judgment. Consider visiting him or her, but instead of hurling stones to get his or her attention, bring the gift of a peaceful heart, and extend it with humility. Perhaps your brother or sister will place it in one of his or her windows so that others may view it and also benefit.

Judgment does not necessitate strong words or harsh tones; being an example and extending an offering of love will sometimes speak louder than words. Approach others with wisdom, asking God to give you a heart full of love when you gauge their predicaments.

However, there is no need to feel timid with God. Naturally you must show Him respect, but at the same time, remember that you can tell Him anything. Even though you know He is the Creator of the whole universe, you can give your body and soul to Him. You know that God has incredible power; He can forgive your sins and therefore seems to hold the warrant of your life or death. Of course He does have the authority to judge, but keep in mind that He also has the power to love and heal.

Do not attempt to push away the hour of judgment. You have to face it sometime. Remember that judgment is comprised of two aspects. It is confrontation with reality and truth. However, the other side of the coin is redemption. When we unite with God, we become the incarnation of truth and God can exercise the power of deliverance and grant us salvation.

Many people have the tendency to overcompensate for a personal or family deficiency or failure. Those who received little or no love and compassion often counteract by displaying a harsh and aggressive manner. The lack of love caused an imbalance and insecurity, however, re-alignment is possible.

Since virtually everyone has to cope with deficiencies, what is accomplished by viewing each other with judgment? Instead, look to God. Focus on the truth and the love of God and True Parents. Then just move forward.

It is not necessary to be offended by the truth for it brings rebirth. Yes, the truth is a type of judgment, but it is possible to amend your mannerisms and habits once you see the correct tradition to follow.

If you cultivate your heart, it will brim over with love when you look at other people. You will judge individuals based on compassion instead of mistrust and suspicion. If you evaluate someone on the foundation of your intellect, you may pompously exclaim, "He deserves to be criticized; let him pay for what he did." Judgment must be balanced with the proper dose of love. That quality will enable you to look at any extenuating circumstances, and perhaps defend or intercede for the person. After all, although the Messiah does come to judge, he also accepts the position of arbitrator on our behalf.

If for any reason you are accorded the position of judging a person's character, your job involves a good bit of research. Before you can pass sentence, you must- find out who the person is his traits, his reputation, discovering his personal integrity, temperament and even hidden aspects of his character. However, if you uncover his weaknesses but then become overcritical of him -- especially exposing those areas -- you will be powerless to help him.

If you are angry with a person, do not spew out your feelings in ridicule and contempt. The best thing is to love him as if he were a superman. Give him every benefit of the doubt and offer him everything you can. It is only possible to serve or befriend someone by approaching him with tears in your eyes and compassion in your heart. With these tools, you can induce a stone to melt.

Think back to the times you met someone but felt judgment in your heart. You probably admonished the person in the scope of a few sentences and then awaited a response. If the reaction was negative, the person felt certain insecurities. He was probably either afraid and intimidated or heartistically touched by what you said. It is important to lavish a person with love before you vociferously interpret and judge his life and circumstances.

If someone snarls at or curses you, don't retaliate by yelling. Turn and quietly walk away. Vindictive screams or an angry tone of voice only serve to cast you in Satan's arena; be careful not to get cornered there. Why judge others? Accept their weaknesses with love and try to bring forth their unique beauty and charm. When the person can strengthen and enhance those characteristics that are endowed by God, the holiness within him will begin to radiate. All people are sick and in need of healing. Their wounds are deep enough; we inflict unnecessary pain on the person when we sprinkle the salt of judgment on those lesions.

When we constantly pick at either their lacerations or our own through judgment or self-criticism, we tend to dwell on the incident that administered the sore. This may depress us, and we must realize that at the same time, it reopens the wound for God. He is forced to review how Satan taunted and conquered us. We then force Him to relive that pain. God hopes that we would allow Him to administer to ourselves or others any needed doses of judgment rather than to willfully take that task upon our own shoulders.

You cannot make a correct ruling or pronouncement without the use of heart and love. If you were to review the situation of the world, you could not help but see the many wars and conflicts, political tensions, the deprivation or misuse of human rights, mansions and huts, famine and floods, hunger and abundance. You could watch the events on your television screen and hear the reports on radio, but if you did not understand the invisible implication and effect, you could not comprehend why such events are allowed to continue. In your confusion and anger, you might even judge God for not magically stopping them. But this criticism is wholly unwarranted.

Care must be exercised in judging a person. You may try to discern things about him based only on responses from your five physical senses. You see his idiosyncrasies and hear the words he speaks. You build up evidence against him. But if you don't take your heart into consideration when judging a person or situation, you may condemn the person without compassion.

God, on the other hand, looks at a person with a balance of input from His intellect and His heart. He analyzes considering both spiritual and physical aspects. For God, everything must always be centered upon the purpose. We should remember that God does not look at us out of eyes glowering with wrath or revenge; He does not frown upon us with knitted brow, seeking to strike us with a rod of iron. That may be the picture of God some people conjure up in their minds. How misunderstood He is. The Principle paints a totally different portrait of God; it reveals to us that the eyes of God are brimming with tears of compassion and love for us.

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