Your Spiritual Journey
Planks and Specks
Planks and Specks
In my daily study, I consistently find myself in the Gospels. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has much to say about how our opinions, outlooks, attitudes, and behaviors need constant reshaping as subjects of his kingdom. Here’s a teaching concerning our relationship with one another:
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 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,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)
Sin, along with its negative attitudes and behaviors, is the plank in our eye. Maybe it is glaringly obvious to everyone around us; it certainly is to God. Jesus calls us to into self-reflection and prayer: what shortcomings do I need to acknowledge in my life, and what must I do to grow and mature? Without this awareness, we are blind to our own failures and quick to point out the failures of others, resulting in tension and strife in the church. In other words, my plank is enough to keep me busy for a while…Jesus will have to take care of your speck.
Jim
