The English author, C. S. Lewis, in one of his books, points out that when people become Christians, if they are not careful, their sinning often shifts from the overt, outward, visible sins of lying, cheating, stealing, cursing and swearing, to the more inward, hidden, non-apparent invisible ones … and among them he lists “a critical spirit” … a spirit of judgmentalism, a censorious attitude. In fact, he points out that this sin is one of transgression which is more commonly committed by church people than by those who are not. So prevalent is it in churchly circles that it is sometimes labelled “Christian cruelty” (from Dennis Kastens, Echoes of Eternity).

Are we guilty of a subtle critical spirit when it comes to others? Our spiritual journey is not primarily to focus on the faults of others, but on our own faults. These are sometimes hard to see, not that they are absent, but because we prefer not to admit them as faults. These personal sins are the stumbling blocks on our journey. With God's grace and our determination to be free of these obstacles to our relationship with God, we will be able to move forward. We need to be more occupied with our sins than those of our neighbor. Then we can encourage our neighbor, not be judgmental and critical. There is a difference. A word spoken in sincere love is more effective than a negative word of condemnation.