Matthew 7:3-5
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the two-by-four plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank of wood in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Jesus here employs some humor to get across His point. Who could possibly have a two-by-four stuck in his eye? The point here is that someone has a huge, glaring problem, yet is concerned for a minor flaw in someone else. We need first to work on our own moral deficiencies, and when we've been able to get a handle on those, then we will be in a place where we can help another.
One thing I learned in Celebrate Recovery is that I only needed to be one step ahead of another to be able to extend my hand to help them up that step, also. But I first needed to work on my own problems, to achieve my own small victories. I also learned that I was (am) like Shrek, an onion with layers. When I peeled off one layer, there was another underneath it that had contributed to that problem, now I needed to work on this new one that had been uncovered. But I was still in a position to help my neighbor over the hurdle I had just gotten over.
May we all have our eyes open to our own next step, as well as how we can contribute to our neighbor's growth in the Lord.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
