There’s a certain ease in pointing out what’s wrong in other people.
A comfort in naming their faults, questioning their motives, or rolling our eyes at their contradictions. It can even feel… righteous.
But if we’re honest, judgment is often a disguise—an emotional shortcut that protects us from looking deeper at ourselves.
And yet, every time we fixate on someone else’s flaws, we’re quietly being pulled away from the only work that actually transforms us: the work of the heart.
The Reflex to Judge
We all do it.
We hear a snippet of conversation, observe a glance, read a social media post—and before we’ve even paused to breathe, a story has formed in our mind. A judgment. A conclusion.
We assume intentions.
We label behaviour.
We feel a flicker of superiority, or frustration, or distance.
This all happens in the space of seconds. But it sets the tone for how we relate to the world—and how we lose touch with the sacred ground of compassion.
The problem isn’t just that we’re being unfair. The deeper issue is that we’re missing the chance to become more whole.
The Celtic Wisdom of Seeing Clearly
In the Celtic Christian tradition, judgment wasn’t seen as simply a moral failure. It was viewed as a distortion of vision—a fog on the mirror of the soul. To judge others too quickly was to lose sight of God in them—and in ourselves.
Many of the Celtic saints, like St. Brigid and St. Aidan, practiced a kind of holy patience. They understood that every person they met was in process, and that the outer behaviour of someone—especially in moments of stress—rarely revealed the full story of their heart.
To judge too quickly was to assume the role of God.
And to do that was to lose the humility that is the soil of wisdom.
Why We Judge (And Why It Feels Good)
Most of us don’t set out to be harsh or unkind. But judgment is seductive. It makes us feel secure. It reinforces our sense of being “right.” It helps us momentarily avoid our own discomfort.
But there’s more going on under the surface:
- Projection – We judge in others what we haven’t yet accepted in ourselves.
- Comparison – We lift ourselves by lowering others.
- Fear – We feel safer when we can neatly categorize people.
- Control – If we can label someone, we don’t have to sit with the discomfort of not understanding them.
In truth, judging is a way of creating distance.
And the spiritual journey is about closing that distance—with others, with God, and with ourselves.
The Slow Art of Self-Examination
It’s easier to scrutinise the faults of others than to sit quietly with the chaos within.
But real transformation begins when we shift our gaze inward—not with shame, but with sacred curiosity.
- What am I really reacting to in this person?
- What part of me feels threatened or insecure?
- What might I be avoiding by focusing on them?
- Is it possible I’m seeing them through the lens of my own unhealed story?
These aren’t accusations. They’re invitations.
The saints didn’t spend their time diagnosing others. They spent their lives asking for clearer vision, deeper wisdom, and the grace to love beyond their own instinct.
The Danger of “Holy” Judgment
One of the subtlest temptations in spiritual life is using holiness as a weapon.
We start to believe our insights, our theology, or our practice gives us a kind of authority to “discern” others. We may call it concern. We may call it truth-telling. But often, it’s just judgment in a spiritual costume.
Genuine spiritual maturity is not proven by how clearly you see the flaws in others. It’s revealed in how gently you hold them.
What the Mirror Teaches Us
The more time we spend judging others, the less time we spend noticing the movements of our own soul.
And yet, every irritation can be a mirror.
Every reaction, a teacher.
Every misunderstanding, a nudge to grow deeper roots in love.
This doesn’t mean we ignore harmful behaviour or never speak truth. But it means we do so with the awareness that we, too, are growing. We, too, are being refined.
It means we speak from a place of empathy, not ego.
From a desire to connect, not to condemn.
Learning to See Differently: A Spiritual Practice
If you feel the impulse to judge someone this week—pause. Take a breath. Then try this:
- Ask what story you’re telling yourself. What assumptions are you making? What do you not know?
- Consider what the moment might be asking of you. Is there something in this interaction that’s inviting you to grow?
- Pray for the person. Even if just for 10 seconds. Bless them. Ask for grace for them. Even that small act can shift everything inside you.
- Return your focus inward. How’s your own soul? What’s going on in your interior life? What healing might be needed?
You Are Not God. And That’s a Good Thing.
There’s freedom in letting go of the need to figure everyone out.
There’s peace in no longer having to hold the world in judgment.
There’s healing in turning your attention inward—not as avoidance, but as sacred tending.
When we focus on understanding rather than judging, something opens.
The soul softens. The presence of God becomes more tangible.
And we begin to see with new eyes—not only others, but ourselves.
Final Reflection
Every time we choose curiosity over criticism, humility over assumption, and silence over certainty, we’re walking a deeper path.
A path where the Spirit can move.
A path where love has room to breathe.
A path where we are no longer fixated on controlling others—but free to keep becoming ourselves.
Ancient Whispers 
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