Judgment

I have been thinking lately about judging others. What got this started is the election and politics. We hear so much about the candidates, good and bad to try and sway our opinion of the person. Today I had a child tell me she isn't happy about Obama being president because he doesn't say the pledge of allegiance. This little girl has never met Obama, and I doubt her parents have either, but she trusts them and they told her Obama doesn't say the Pledge of Allegiance so she believes them. This hits me how important it is to not judge others. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, I do not know, but I do know that if I teach my son something he will believe me, truth or not. I cannot in clear conscience teach him something that is not true. Therefor I cannot judge.
This is perhaps one of the hardest things we are asked to do, judge not, but I know we can do it. Let me share an example with you, it is kind of silly I know, but bear with me. A few years back I learned that I get really irritated with other drivers that act stupid or dangerous. I started getting road rage. To fix this I decided to give other drives the benefit of the doubt. So what if they are going 20 over, maybe they are rushing home to get their child to the emergency room, maybe his wife is in labor, maybe he REALLY needs to use a bathroom. Then I say a little prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help them be safe, to protect those drivers around them, and to help them get where they need to be, especially if it is the bathroom.
Let us like wise stop listening to what we have heard, and give the next leader of our country the benefit of the doubt. Pray for him, pray for us all. Whether Obama is all we are told or not, we will need the prayers of all for the years ahead. They will only become increasingly harder, and I pray the Lord will bless us all, whoever we voted for.