What’s the difference between judging others and giving constructive criticism?

Matthew 7:1-3“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”

Colossians 3:13Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

James 4:11Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

While no one likes criticism—even when it is constructive—we sometimes need it. But receiving criticism is much easier when it is offered gently and in love rather than harshly and to humiliate. To simply judge someone is to criticize with no effort to see that person succeed or improve. To offer constructive criticism is to invest in another for the purpose of building a relationship and helping that person become the person God created him or her to be. Before approaching someone about an issue, we must prayerfully inspect our own motives and think through how best to express our love and care for that person, as well as how to encourage rather than discourage him or her.