Judging others (Matt 7:1-6) – silence the critics

This is a spiritual discipline that is helpful for helping to training our minds to recognise we are not better than others. We are all broken people and in need of Christs forgiveness, and we are all wonderfully made in the image of God.

Have a family routine where whenever someone criticises or judges someone the judger is stopped and must find something good, or great about the other individual and praise them for it.

For example: if James starts teasing his little brother because his little brother is not as good as James at football, the consequence (on top of apologising) is that James needs to take time to identify something his little brother is good at and then praise his little brother for it.

It is important to not frame this in the context of a punishment, as that will give it a negative connotation. Instead, frame it as a positive game or activity. For example, give it to the child (or adult) as a secret mission that over the next 24 hours they need to find something to praise the judged individual for and report back.