On my ride yesterday I realized an urban bike trail is a good place to practice these words from Jesus.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
On a trail like this, you encounter about every possible form of exercise. It’s very easy to mentally criticize those who are in your way, talking on their phone, or doing something else you don’t approve of.
As I rode a trail yesterday, I found myself consciously thinking about how I was judging and criticizing others. I decided to change the script. I decided to look at each person and try to see the trip from their point of view.
The person talking on the speakerphone wasn’t trying to irritate me. She was planning her day with her assistant while she got in a walk before a busy session in her home office.
The group ignoring trail etiquette wasn’t rude. They were novice cyclists who just didn’t know the rules yet.
The family tootling along with kids weaving back and forth on the trail weren’t intentionally slowing my pace. I imagined the time it took to get everyone ready, helmets and bikes and then somebody had to go back to go to the bathroom before they could leave, and they were still out on the trail enjoying time together.
This sort of empathy costs me absolutely nothing. It changed the experience a great deal.
I realized how easily I default to judging others, on bike trails and probably in other places.
The guidance is pretty clear.
“Do not judge…”