One of the greatest spiritual crossroads we encounter in life is this: Do I choose love, or do I choose judgment? This choice, though it may feel small in the moment, is a gateway to peace or pain. According to A Course in Miracles (ACIM), this decision is not just frequent—it is constant. Every moment is a chance to decide again: Do I see through the lens of fear, or through the clarity of love?
The Course makes a bold and often confronting statement:
“Anger is never justified.”
This isn’t meant to shame us, but to free us. For if anger is never truly justified, then we are never truly trapped by it. We can choose another way.
Likewise, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy points to the illusion of material-based judgment. She teaches that we must rise above appearances and perceive ourselves and others not through the lens of sin, sickness, or limitation, but as expressions of divine Mind, temporarily unaware of their wholeness.
Whether you use the word God, Spirit, the Universe, Love, or the Infinite, what matters is the relationship—your felt sense of something greater than the ego’s world of fear and separation. The invitation is to return to that Source and let it guide our seeing.
The Spiritual Meaning of Namaste
One of the simplest yet most profound ways to shift from judgment to love is captured in the word Namaste. Derived from Sanskrit, it means:
“The divine in me honors the divine in you.”
It’s more than a greeting. It’s a spiritual recognition. It says, “I see who you really are, beyond your behavior, your past, or my perceptions of you. I acknowledge the light in you, because it is the same light in me.”
To live in the spirit of Namaste is to see others—and yourself—as spiritual beings first. And when we do that, judgment begins to dissolve, because we are no longer seeing through fear.
The Seduction of Judgment and the Justification of Anger
Judgment, like anger, feels strangely satisfying to the ego. It offers the illusion of superiority, protection, and even identity. But it’s a trap. A Course in Miracles teaches that all judgment is self-judgment. When we condemn another in our minds, we are reinforcing the very guilt and fear we want to escape.
This is why the Course says:
“You cannot be unfairly treated.”
And,
“Anger is never justified.”
Not because people don’t make mistakes. They do. But because what we are responding to is never just what they said or did—it’s what we’ve made it mean inside our own mind.
Judgment and anger come from a belief in separation. They are defenses against vulnerability, masks for fear. The Course doesn’t ask us to deny our feelings—but it does ask us to question them. What if anger is not the truth, but a veil over the truth? What if the person we’re judging is not attacking us, but calling out for love?
Mary Baker Eddy also speaks to this when she says:
“Divine Love corrects and governs man. Man is under the control of God, not of mortal mind.”
In other words, no one—including ourselves—is truly defined by error. We are defined by Love.
Choosing Love Means Releasing Judgment
Choosing love over judgment doesn’t mean pretending everything is okay. It means looking through the surface disturbance to what is unchanged and unchangeable. It’s not about ignoring pain—it’s about seeing it rightly.
In daily life, this could look like:
- Pausing before reacting to a harsh word and asking, “What’s really going on here?”
- Feeling anger rise, but choosing not to act on it—and instead handing it over to Spirit to reinterpret.
- Looking at yourself with gentleness instead of shame when you make a mistake.
- Whispering inwardly, “Namaste” when someone tests your patience, reminding yourself that their essence is not their behavior.
Each of these moments is a miracle—a correction in perception. They are not grand gestures. But they are powerful. They shift your mind from fear to love.
But What About Injustice?
A common concern arises here: “What about injustice, cruelty, or abuse? Shouldn’t we be angry?”
This is where the Course’s teachings ask us to go deeper. It never says to accept or tolerate abuse. It says that we can respond to injustice with clarity, wisdom, and firmness—without feeding the fire of anger or judgment.
In fact, love is more effective than anger ever could be. Love sets boundaries with compassion. Love speaks truth without blame. Love sees clearly and acts wisely. Anger clouds judgment. Love reveals it.
As Science and Health says,
“Love is the liberator.”
It frees both the one who sees and the one being seen.
Forgiveness as Love in Action
True forgiveness, in both ACIM and Christian Science, is not saying “It’s okay”—it’s saying “I choose to see this differently.” It is a refusal to carry the weight of resentment any longer. It is a sacred decision to look with the eyes of truth instead of illusion.
This is where Namaste meets forgiveness. When we forgive, we are silently saying:
“I still see the light in you, even if you can’t see it right now. And I will not let my own light dim because of your forgetfulness.”
That is real strength.
Final Thought: The Return to Peace
Every day presents countless chances to choose again. Anger will tempt you. Judgment will whisper. But the invitation of love is always stronger—because it comes from your true Self.
You can pause. You can say, “Namaste.”
You can remember, “Anger is never justified.”
You can ask for help seeing the situation differently.
And in doing so, you return—not just to peace, but to yourSelf.
As A Course in Miracles promises:
“In my defenselessness, my safety lies.”
And as Mary Baker Eddy assures:
“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.”
So today, when the ego rises up, when judgment creeps in, when anger flares—pause. Bow inwardly. And remember:
The divine in me honors the divine in you. Namaste.
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