Refocusing Our Sight On Ourselves

 As I scroll through social media, I discover that many people are wonderful, good, and perfect. At least from the words on their social media posts, it appears that way. Social media can connect us to people in the world and create stronger friendships, but it can also begin to destroy us in ways that may not be visible to us, but it is apparent to those around us and to those reading our posts. Why is it that we can see the flaws in others but not see our own imperfections? 

This has been an age-old problem in life. Jesus had to address this issue. “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3 (CSV) Why do we focus on what others are doing wrong and cannot see our own flaws? Jesus asked this rhetorical question. No one would dare answer it because it will reveal our worse flaw in ourselves. We refuse to look at our flaws and sins because we do not want to change them. 

It’s so much easier to call out other people’s wrongdoings than it is to fix our own. I see it every day in my classroom. Students will call out other people’s flaws and not adjust or correct their own failures. We hate to admit that we have flaws. This has damaged Christianity. It’s damaged those of us within the church, along with those who are outside of the church screaming that we must change. We must begin with ourselves to change and turn from our sins before we can scream about other people. 

I don’t have any ill feelings to those who are on the side of calling out people’s wrong ideas in life, but I do have a problem when all we do is sit behind a computer screen with our log in our own eyes and call out the failures of other people. The pandemic has left many people in dire straits in many areas. We should begin to encourage other people instead of pointing out their flaws.

When we sit and point out the flaws of everyone around us, we bring attention to ourselves to have our own flaws exposed. Instead of exposing the flaws of others, we need to turn from our sins and wrongdoings and pray that others will do the same. The more we sit back and claim to be perfect, the more sins we commit. No one is perfect. No one will ever say or write the perfect words that we want to hear. We can only go to Jesus for that perfection. 

So, let us make this year the year in which we begin to work on ourselves. I have discovered that the more I change and grow, those around me change and grow. Let us set a goal to make the changes we must do to improve our own lives and then watch the world change around us. It just may all be in the perspective of what we see. It is with our time and conversations with Jesus that this change will take place. Let us go boldly in this year with the time to change.