Who Looks Worse?

I once knew a young lady who thought she had an intruder in the house. She went and got her Daddy’s gun to protect herself. She walked through the house to see if she could find the prowler. Once she turned the corner into a room, clearly there was someone there, also armed. She was about to shoot when she realized that the hideous person was herself … in the mirror. She had almost shot at her own image.

Before we start firing at others, we might need to realize that the flaws we see in others might actually be our own and sometimes in a worse fashion.

Suppose you were looking at someone through a pair of glasses and saw them doing something really wrong. But suppose also that when you pulled your glasses off you realized that you were actually looking into lenses of mirror and that what you thought you saw in others was really something in you?

What bothers you the most, your sins or that of others’? This is an important question if anyone wants to really be right with God.

I hear people complain all of the time because of something someone else did or is doing? I have done the same thing myself. For some reason, sin looks uglier on others than it does on us.

When was the last time you wept over your own evil ways – something you did, something you said or a wrong attitude?

If someone cuts you off in traffic, do you cry aloud, “You idiot?” Have you ever berated yourself for the same? “What’s wrong with me, why do I treat people that way?” Have you ever gotten on your own case for interrupting or ignoring another? Are you very angry with yourself for neglecting the precepts of the bible?

Jesus said we cannot help others with their problems unless we first take care of our own:

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7.3-5)

If we have sin in our lives we must seek to make it right before we get all bothered about what is wrong with others.

Sometimes we can even get more upset over the little errors in others than we do about the big wrongs in our own lives.

And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (Luke 11.46)

Will you join me in this prayer and pledge?

Dear Lord, help me to focus less on the sins and faults of others and more on correcting my own. I know I need to help any brother or sister that is overtaken in any fault, but I cannot see to do that unless I make my heart right with you first. So many times I have criticized others for the very things that I was guilty of myself. Help me not be a hypocrite. I want to be honest with you, with others and with myself – in Jesus’ name, Amen.