I can't stand critical people. People who find fault with everyone and get really annoyed at other people's faults, they really… annoy me.
The above words show a common fault. We dislike in others what we display in ourselves. I get annoyed by people who get annoyed by people.
The brilliant way of explaining this that Jesus coined was, "Don't point out the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye when you have a plank of wood sticking out of your own. How dare you say to him, Please let me take that speck out of your eye, when you have a log in your own eye. You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
It is an impossible picture, of course. You cannot really have a plank of wood in your eye. If you had anything in your eye - imagine a toothpick– you would be in no state to perform a medical operation on someone else's delicate eye irritation. The point is that often in life that's just what we do: we meddle in other people's lives with no awareness of our own glaring deficiencies.
Don't take investment advice from someone who hasn't made money. Don't take marriage advice from an oft-married counsellor. In fact, the opposite approach would be the best. Ask someone who has been happily married for years what is their secret, and how to resolve your relationship problems. Choose for your role model those whose lives prove the truth of their beliefs.
I think the key word in Jesus' advice is the word 'first' - 'First take the log out of your own eye'. In this life, we don't have to stay shabby, aimless, trouble-ridden people of poor character. We can be changed. We can improve our character with God's help. That is our first project. Fix myself first. Worry about others later.
Rev. Geoff Leslie
