What's That Thing in Your Eye?

Matthew 7:1-6

I have been reading at least a chapter at night, but this chapter was too full--it has too much going on in it to rush through.  First things first, talking about judging.  The verse, "why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" (7:3-4).  Convicted.  Me?  Yes.  How many times have I made snide comments about things people did or said or do.  Um, a lot of times.

 I always get this weird image of a huge 2x4 sticking out of someone's eyeball when I read this passage (yeah, gross, I know) and it dawned on me just now that if you were to have something that big in your eye, you couldn't really see it.  You wouldn't really be able to see anything.  Your vision would altered and impaired.  Another thought that struck me was that whenever you try and look at something up close, I mean really close, what happens?  That object gets blurry, you get a headache from straining to see it, and you ultimately stop looking at it, or you move it back from your face!  I think we are the same way, it's so much easier to see the errors, sins, and shortcomings of others but sometimes nearly impossible to see these things of and in ourselves.

 So, how do we go about refocusing our eyes?  First of all, our eyes should always be focused on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  If our eyes are truly on him, he will lead and guide us and let us know whenever we have things we need to work on, or fix.  Plus, if we have our eyes on Him, we're going to view people with much more compassion, mercy, and grace.  We are going to be more apt to see people as God sees them--as the imperfect human beings that they are.  

I think it's important that we first pray and ask God to help us to see those things in our own lives that we need to work on first.  Secondly, I think it's important that we do what our parents have told us all our lives--worry about you and mind your own business.  News Flash!  God doesn't need our help to correct or convict people.  I don't know about you but when God holds up that ugly mirror and shows me those things in my life--there is no worse feeling.  At times like that, I don't need someone else pointing out my mistakes, flaws, and imperfections---I mean, Hello?  I am staring them straight in the mirror and they are NOT pretty.

My prayer is this,

Lord,

Open my eyes to things in my heart, life, and mind that are not of you.  I pray that you would help me to love people the way that you love them.  I ask that you would help me to show mercy, grace, and tolerance to those people in my path that are imperfect, flawed, and blemished just as I am.  Lord, let me not lose focus on you and on those things in my life that you have shown me need to be removed.  Let my eyesight be clear and let me first focus on and attend to the massive planks in my own eyes, before I go looking at the specks in someone else's eye.

Amen