Sometimes I come across a quote that makes me laugh…and then
makes me a little uncomfortable. The
quote in my graphic today did just that.
On the surface, we all know that we aren’t supposed to judge others and
most of us think that we aren’t guilty of doing it. But if we are honest, we all probably judge
more than we think we do.
I think that for many of us, we judge others because we want to
feel better about ourselves, so we point out the negatives in those we
meet. We surely would never do the
things that they do…we are much holier than them. So we continue to run them down to make sure
and lift us up. Too often, our low
self-esteem rears its ugly head and because of that, we lash out, pointing out
all the negatives and wrong things that others do.
But (and you knew there would be a “but”) our quote today should
remind us that we need to look in a mirror.
Most of us make a habit of looking into a mirror at least once in the
morning to make sure that everything is in place. We want to ensure that our hair isn’t a mess
and our clothes are where they should be and for some of us…our makeup isn’t
all smudged. In other words, we take the
time to peer into the looking glass, to see if anything is wrong with our
outward appearance.
What if we could look into a mirror and see the condition of our
heart? What if doing that would show if
our attitude was where it should be and our actions were in line with Christ’s
desire for us? What if it would show
what our innermost thoughts and desires were and whether they were pleasing to
Him? If a mirror could do all of this,
we might not be so quick to point out the sins of others.
What I find sad is that I have seen families torn apart and
friendships destroyed because someone spent more time pointing out the splinter
in another’s eye, than confessing the log in their own eye. I have seen siblings refuse to even speak to
each other, all because one feels superior to the other, squelching any chance
for a relationship. Yes, we may not
always approve of the actions of family members or friends and they may be
committing sins. But it is important
that the mirror that we hold in our hand, is turned towards us more than it is
towards them. I John 4:7-8 tells us, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one
another, for love comes from God. Anyone
who loves is a child of God and knows God.
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Notice that it does not say, “Let us continue to love one another, unless their sins are much worse than ours.” If we know God, we are supposed to love.
We are ALL sinners saved by grace. None of us are sinless…no matter how hard we
try. Where we get into trouble is when
we rank someone else’s sin as much worse than ours. Their sin may not look like ours, but in the
end, any sin isn’t at all pleasing to the Lord.
When we stand before Him on the Day of Judgment, He won’t ask us about
the sins of others; we will only answer for what we have done. We each need to take responsibility for our
actions and ask Him to forgive us and make us clean. Then we need to show love, because God is
love, and we are to always be a reflection of Him.
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