If you’ve
ever been on a plane, the pre-flight announcements advise passengers to secure
their own masks before assisting a neighbor with his or her oxygen mask as a
best practice procedure. This instruction ties in perfectly Matthew’s gospel (Matthew
7:1-5). We’re reminded that removing the
“beam” from our own eye first is essential and precedes our inclination to
point or attend to our neighbors “beam.”
In the
gospel Jesus says, “You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam
from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your
brother’s eye.” We’re so quick to judge others or react to the
person across from us. Why is it so hard
for us to look at ourselves? Is it
because we want to avoid the tough questions? Is it because if we were really honest with
ourselves, we would see that we need a lot of work and don’t want to commit to
make a change? Even if our heart is in
the right place and we’re honestly wanting to help someone, we often find ways
to avoid looking at our own shortcomings.
Jesus wants
us to look inward. If we’re going to follow and obey Him, we have to be willing
to look objectively at our lives and see where we’re falling short; not to
shame us and make us feel guilty, but to grow us closer into relationship with
Him.
If we want
to give others our best, we have to be our best. When I became a parent, and then a grandparent,
I developed a new appreciation for this concept of self-care and self-love. I find that if I’m happy, de-stressed, calm,
and in overall harmony with God, my relationship with my daughters and granddaughters
benefits. When I’m tired, overwhelmed,
or empty, my relationship with them suffers. In no way do I consider this an easy feat. Self-reflection takes practice and discipline,
but the reward of an everlasting relationship with Jesus makes it worth the
effort. Remember, “….and
the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”
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