Post by Susan Peabody on Jul 20, 2022 20:19:51 GMT
A friend/sponsee sent me an email me asking me to stop judging her and saying she was judgmental. Here is my response . . .
I have read your email carefully, and I hear you. It may be just a matter of semantics. What appears to you as judgement on my part is merely an observation. Something for you to look at more carefully. If I were judging you, I would be thinking, this is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable. But I don't. I love and accept you just the way you are with your likes and dislikes. I just think you would be a happier person if you did not dislike so many people. In returning to my Quaker faith, I am being reminded of what we call universal love. We love each other and try to see each other's strengths while accepting their negative traits. I am taking a good hard look at the people I dislike and discovering that they, like me, are just adult children doing the best they can. I also have to be careful because when I judge others it is like looking in a mirror. I am judging myself when I judge them, because we are all the same. We are different flowers in the same garden created and nurtured by God. As I grow in my faith, I often get ahead of those I have been walking with. John is a good example. This breaks my heart, but it is my obligation to move forward spirituality and get closer and closer to God. I will try really hard to stop trying to be a mirror for your personality traits. Without your permission to observe your strengths and weaknesses I am being intrusive. If I fail at this, please forgive me. Your friend, Susan.