Most of us are not the same people we were last year, mostly because of different lessons that we have learned throughout the year. Because of different experiences that we have, some no longer see things the way they did last week.

So what’s with us with these constant changes? Are the changes necessary or not?

The greatest difference for many can be seen by comparing who they were when they were a teenager and who they are now that they are adults. For some who are now old, they look back to their adulthood and see a difference. The difference is not just in age, sometimes it’s in the lessons learned, mistakes made, goals achieved, failures, and even change of beliefs.

Even for our lives in general as a human race, think of where we started, and where we are now. We have moved from inventing bicycles with big wheels to self-driving cars. From using fire to communicate to literally having every person accessible at our fingertips. We are progressive beings in every aspect of our lives. So if we are capable of changing for the better, why is it that we always want to judge others? I mean, we mostly see people making what we think are the worst decisions one can make, and we conclude that they are destined for disaster.

I believe when people make decisions, they normally do not always go for the worst of them all. They use their acquired knowledge, experiences, beliefs, and even their intuition to make what they believe is the best solution. Of course, it might not really be the best, but they believe it is, so to them, it is.

One of my favorite pastors, Ty Gibson, will say, “all of us are so subjective and limited in our perspectives that we are always in a process.” This means that whatever you believe to be correct right now, you may not believe to be correct next week, next month, or next year.

He continues to say, “but one thing is absolutely certain: to the degree that I adopt a demeaning, dismissive, judgmental spirit toward you regarding the position you presently hold, I am potentially solidifying you in your present position and shutting down your capacity for growth.”

We are people who are capable of growth, and the beliefs that we hold on to today may change completely or take a new form after some time because of the experiences we always go through. And whether we notice it shortly after the change or not, there is going to be a time when the change reveals itself.

So we should try not to judge others or even be too hard on ourselves because of our past decisions, because at that point in time, it made sense to us, and now that we have matured, we can do better if presented with the same opportunity.

Ty Gibson also says, “none of us are ever in a position that is so enlightened and so objective that we are qualified to judge anyone else as lacking in goodwill. You simply do not know what all the factors are that have led any given individual to hold whatever positions they hold.”

This doesn’t mean if advice is needed it should not be given, it should, and the giver should understand that the person was actually doing the best according to the knowledge they had. After all, we are progressive beings.

Life has enough problems for all of us, so we might as well just make it easy for one another.

We all might not have it all together now, we never may, but at least we will keep growing into better people every day.