(Firstly, a kind thank you to everyone who extended such genuine concern and compassion regarding how I’m doing after reading my last post. It’s beautiful how sharing things, even the hard and sad and messy things, truly distributes their weight, making them easier to bear. Thank you. More wholeness lies yet ahead for me. As does more boldness. And authority. And an ever increasing clarity in my perspective of our Father’s character; His heart. Not only for me, but also for you. If you so choose.)
Today, a short blog about something I gleaned reading Christ’s words from Matthew 7 verses 1-5:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
I’ve read this multiple times, but my latest reading brought a fresh-to-me insight:
Verse 5 “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
I love that Christ called out a sin pattern like it was.
“You hypocrite…”
Dang.
But, what’s so beautiful to me is that He didn’t say that a “log sized” obstruction of sin disqualified this person from speaking insight into the person with the “speck sized” obstruction of sin. He said that we only must first be free to see clearly in oder to help minister clarity to others.
“…first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
How often we disqualify ourselves (or one another) from ministry due to a past of log-filled eyes. But we find the potency and mystery of the Gospel wrapped up in Christ compelling the former log-laden to bring freedom to those who might not even know their eye has a speck. Well, the speck-eyed might feel the discomfort, but they might be content in it since they can still see.
But, regardless of things that once made us blind, Jesus empowers us to embrace wholeness.
And then give it away.
