Take the Log Out

Two weeks ago I started a new Bible Study. A women's study on revival. This week in particular has given me a lot of food for thought. The subject of the week has been humility, or conversely, pride. As a Christian we must be very careful to not fall into the very common trap of holding ourselves up as better than others. We quickly find the sins, or perceived sins, in others and point them out, comparing ourselves and judging them...as we ourselves practice a sin God detests. Pride.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 

~Matthew 7:1-3

I have been guilty of this in the past, and it is something I still have to work on. When you look at others and see their spiritual failings, but can't see your own...well watch out...God may have His own way of helping you out of this sin. He did this for me a couple of years ago in a way that was painful, but necessary. I hit rock bottom and the only way to go was up. Being diagnosed as Bipolar was painful, terrifying, and humiliating. But not surprising. See, as a nurse, I knew. I saw the signs in my early twenties, put a name to it when I studied phychiatric nursing at age 28, and kept my secret for almost 20 long years. Why? Pride. I didn't want others to see the real me, to know I had this problem. 

Humility has been brought home to me in a very real way the last couple of years. Mercy and grace have become the anchors I cling to. Pride, though not totally gone, has made room for forgiveness. My wish for others is that they learn these lessons in a less painful way. So, if you find yourself with the mindset that other's sins are much worse than your own, consider the following excerpts from the Nancy Leigh DeMoss study, SeekingHim: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival

Proud People    vs    Humble People

focus on the failures of others ~ are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need

have a critical, fault-finding spirit; look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope ~ are compassionate; can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven

are self-righteous; look down on others ~ esteem all others better than themselves 

are overly concerned with what others think; work to protect their own image and reputation ~ are concerned with being real; what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; are willing to risk their own reputation

compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor ~ compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel desperate need for His mercy

So stop worrying about that speck in the other person's eye, and take a chainsaw to that log in yours...who knows, once you can see again you may discover the other person didn't have a speck in his after all.

Blessings ~Marla