You've Got Something on Your Face

Today my thoughts are on judging other people. Specifically, I am reminded of Jesus' words regarding pointing out a speck in your neighbor's eye when you've got a log in yours. A very dramatic visual and so true. How often do we look at other people and pass judgment on their actions or lifestyle when we are just as guilty? It's so easy to do and I believe part of our own quest for self-preservation. Let's face it, if we can focus on other people's problems, we don't have to face our own. We don't have to admit our weaknesses and our failures. We can elevate ourselves above others and look down on them with smugness. We make ourselves feel better by standing on top someone else, forcing them into a position that we have no right to put them in.

Recently, I have been in both of these positions: standing on others and being stood on. Neither one feels right. Let's face it, making myself feel good at the expense of someone else results in my feeling even worse. Furthermore, it's not loving my neighbor. I place myself in the position that truly belongs to God. Judging others while blinded by our own logs doesn't allow us to fully see the situation. Without clear vision, we make up the parts that we can't see and that's the danger. That's where assumptions come into play and we all know what happens when we assume.

I've probably spent more time lately being the one stood on. Not a great place either. I find myself wondering if I deserved it or maybe I am there because I willingly allowed the other person or persons to use me this way. It's easy to stay down there. Easy to allow myself to be stepped on because it takes a lot of work to throw the others off and stand back up again. It takes time for these wounds heal and those wounds are not always visible. I hurt, I'm stiff, and I'm weak. Rushing the healing process can mean the wounds don't heal properly. They can be reopened very easily and be even harder to recover from the next time.

Seeing the log in our own eyes takes a lot of courage. However, having a log or two does not mean that we are bad or damaged. It just means that we have to endure the pain of taking them out and healing. God helps us both with the extraction and the recovery, loving us the whole time. Part of that healing is having the strength to admit to both God and to the ones that we hurt that we were not seeing clearly. Our vision was obstructed and because of that, we said and did things without seeing the full picture. Even if the others can't forgive right away, we can begin the process of forgiving ourselves and allowing God's love to work it's amazing magic. In all of our actions, we can always be assured that God loves us - specks, logs, and everything else.