Good Morning All,
Matthew 7:3; “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?”
Why is it that the smallest things seem to
annoy us the most? Why does the drip,
drip, drip of the faucet sound so loud at 3:00 am? Why does a fly buzzing and flying into a
screen sound like someone is beating a drum?
Why do these little minor events cause us such major distress? We are such creatures of the infinitesimal;
we truly make mountains out of molehills.
We find ourselves doing it so
often; it might be with a work colleague, it might be with a fellow church member
or it may be with one of your family; we pick the smallest thing and obsess
about it and let it fester and let it build up to something larger than
necessary. Some may call it nagging
someone, others may call it nitpicking but whatever you call it; it is very
destructive to our relationships.
One thing that makes this so
destructive is that it has a downward spiral effect. Once you begin to harp and nag it can be very
easy for the other person to respond in kind.
Soon the speck in our neighbor’s eye become logs on our own. We look at the speck and we think “I hope God
changes him soon.” We look at others and
decide which, how many and where these “specks” seem to be the “logs” that we
imagine. If only God would fix all the
people who need help. Yet do we ever
include our self in that prayer?
God uses his Spirit to give
us some chances to change our “log” out.
First, our best response is always prayer. We need to ask God to control our tongue and
to control our thoughts. We need to ask
God to forgive us and to change us and
not them.
Focus on the positive and not
the negative. Listen to what is being
said by your colleague or family member.
Listen not with just your ears but listen with your heart as well. Hear what they are saying and not just the
manner in which it is said.
If you are being tempted
beyond your tolerance, leave; quietly excuse yourself. Say you need the bathroom; whatever it takes
to break the cycle and the spell. If the
devil starts working on you, move away so it isn’t so easy to play on your
feelings. Make a change; move around,
change the subject, drink so water, do something to change the action.
Finally, recognize that the
only thing you can ever change is you and the way that you respond to the events
around you. God calls us to be loving
and compassionate people. He calls us to
act with love. He calls us to treat
others as we would have them treat us.
This should be our goal, this should be our aim.
Father, forgive me for all
the times that I have focused on the speck in my brother’s eye. Forgive me for when I complained or
attacked. Guide me by your Spirit to
love as you love. Help me to reconcile
with those whom I have hurt. Help them
to forgive me for the anguish I cause.
Lead us to be the loving and compassionate people that you desire us to
be. In the precious name of Jesus, our
risen Savior we pray, amen
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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