In this day and age, it's so much easier to find wrong than right in a person. With everything the world has to offer, both good and not-so-good, taking a few missteps is inevitable. So what I don't understand is why we as humans are so quick to cast judgment on other people every time they stumble in life.

We are all guilty of this, hearing someone's name and quickly offering up a "Well did you hear what they did?" just for the sake of conversation. But the truth is, it's never really just for the sake of conversation, is it? We all know it never ends once those words leave our mouths. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, once it's out there everyone has put their two cents in. More often than not, that two cents is wrapped in snide comments and relentless judgment. They made a mistake though, they did something wrong, so I have every right to look down upon them, right? WRONG. The only reason you should look down on them is to reach out and help them back up. Sure, they may not be walking the straight and narrow, or may have gotten in some trouble, or chose to hang with the wrong crowd, but PLEASE inform me of how you've always lived a perfect life.

The fact of the matter is, nobody lives a perfect life. Even Jesus himself, who is more perfect than we could ever imagine, did not steer clear of those we consider "the wrong people" today. He didn't outcast them, gossip about them, or cast shameful glares whenever they passed. You know what he did do? He reached out to them. He sat among them, ate with them, talked with them, prayed for them, lifted them up. All of this, He did, despite their backgrounds and life choices. Now, tell me again how you, who has a life filled with sin, have the authority to look down upon others who sin differently than you do? No one is excluded from this, myself included, for we all fall short and look past our own flaws to magnify those of others. It's something we all do, and it's something we all need to work on.

We can't live perfect lives, it's simply not possible, especially in this world we live in. But what we can do is lift each other up, and look past what we see on the exterior, to find the goodness that lies within our hearts. Think of how much better the world would be if we focused more on our own personal problems and only searched for the goodness in other people. That is the challenge I am presenting to myself, and the one that I encourage you to take on as well. It won't be easy, but I definitely feel it will be worth it, both for you and those around you.