Matthew 7:3
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
Is someone bugging you? Are they getting under your skin? Are you full of anger towards them and can’t get past it? This is a great opportunity to look at yourself. What are they doing that is annoying you? Are they nitpicky? Judgmental? Are they questioning everything you do? Are you guilty of doing the same thing? Other people are your mirror. What you don’t like in them maybe something you’re struggling with within yourself. It is right in front of your face, yet you can’t see it. So, life brings it up again and again. Be thankful for the lesson. Be thankful for the annoyance. How can you learn from it? How is this your behavior as well?
God gives you the strength to change. He gives you the desire to seek Him and to be more. There may be quite a bit to clean up and come to terms with on this journey. God is asking you to be transparent and authentic. He is asking you to search within yourself for truth and to hold yourself accountable. This isn’t a call to emotionally beat yourself up for your struggles. This is a call to use what you are facing as an opportunity to change. This is an opportunity to get honest with yourself and at the same time give yourself loving kindness.
The enemy would like you to go into every situation expecting a conflict. He wants you armed and ready to go. He wants you to pull from your bag of assumptions and predict how others will behave. Expect the worst and you won’t be surprised. It is hard to be loving when you are armed for attack. When you are more worried about losing something, and protecting something, rather than giving, it creates a lose-lose situation fueled by fear.
Through it all God loves you for you. He loves how hard you try. He loves that you desire to be closer to Him. He loves you in all the mess and even when you don't make wise choices. He wants you to love you for you as well. God wants nothing more than for you to be happy and stable. He wants to scrape through the layers of pain and negative thinking that have piled on over the years. He wants you to get to the core of your being and always remember who you are. You are God’s very own. In difficult situations you must remain present. When you distract yourself with blame and being defensive you go to war with yourself. You dig in and refuse to look at your way of thinking. Don’t slide into being a victim and expect all to go wrong. Be centered in God knowing He gives you a foundation of peace. He gives you the fortitude to be honest with yourself and choose to not take things personal. He gives you the courage proceed on.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for always loving me for me. Thank you for being my center and always being honest with me. Forgive me for the times I arm myself for a conflict. Forgive me for assuming the worst and not giving all to You. You are a loving Father. You have always watched over me, known what is best for me, and will continue to do so. Help me to see what I need to see when I am looking at my mirror. Help me to change what I need to change. When I get distracted with what others are doing, may I pull closer to You, center myself and remember You are what love really means.
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