Who are you to judge your neighbor?
—James 4:12
I’m thinking of two men who were among the most exemplary Christians I’ve known. But if judged by their younger years, they were also the most unlikely candidates for spiritual excellence.
Both scripture and observation teach us to go slow in passing judgment. Human judgment is flawed, often coming too early.
A person may emerge from an early deviant existence and, by God’s grace, live an honorable and lovely existence for the rest of their days. Conversely, a person may lead a noble and exemplary life and, like Solomon, wreck it all by a late moral collapse. In a homily about Solomon, my friend Allen Isbell cautioned against ending the game on third base.
The Lord—only the Lord—sees and knows all and passes just judgment.
Judgment isn’t our call.