Day Eleven: See Clearly

Scripture: Matthew 7:3-5 (ESV) —"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. "

A common misconception is that the key to being emotionally healthy is knowing the picture people have painted of you. Self-awareness doesn’t begin with knowing what others see in you; it begins with knowing what God sees in you. People can form opinions, but God knows the facts. He knows what’s in your heart. He doesn’t just see the fruit of who you are after it is fully grown; He has been watching it grow since the moment the seed was planted. Whatever others think about you, their thoughts are most helpful in understanding the things that bind you together and the things that divide you. But as far as knowing yourself, there is only One who can make that acquaintance for you—God.

One of the most fascinating jobs is that of a sketch artist. They sit with a witness to a crime and get a description of the suspect involved. By the time they are done, they have rendered a drawing that should help investigators track the suspect down. We are often willing to play the role of both the witness and the sketch artist. But instead of providing information on what we think a person looks like on the outside, we seem to be more interested in drawing a picture of what we perceive on the inside. Because we can be hypocrites, we are often tempted to highlight others’ bad sides while emphasizing our own good sides. We also ignore the fact that others suffer from the same condition we do—faulty vision.

There is an eye condition called photopsia. Photopsia is essentially the perception of light created by your own vision. In other words, the flash of light you see may not be the sun but merely the perception of it. If you aren’t careful, you can experience this in your spiritual vision. What you think may be a discerning thought about others could actually be the perception of your flesh.

Today's passage points out that we have an innate ability to be blind to our own sin while seeing the sin of others under a magnifying glass. The question, though, is why? Why are we willing to be unfair in order to make life “fair”? It’s human nature to only see things as balanced if the comparison game is rigged in our favor.

However, if you dig deep into this hypocrisy, you will see that it interrupts God’s plan for dealing with your own sin in a way that leads to helping others experience His healing as well. God is not looking to make things even, and He isn’t interested in ascribing shame to you. His focus is to shift our motives to something purer.

Returning to the passage, it highlights that it’s a false start to offer to take the speck out of someone else’s eye while ignoring the log lodged in your own eye. This does not mean that everyone else is better than you. It means that your primary focus should be on what is hampering your sanctification. The fact that it’s primary for you means that, right now, your sin is bigger than the sin of your neighbor. By the way, the same is true for your neighbor—God’s will is for their sin to be primary for them.

The fact that God says to deal with yourself first doesn’t mean your role in others’ lives is insignificant. In fact, everything God is taking you through is preparing you to be a vessel for His healing in them.

As the passage goes on, it says, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

We have a propensity to view statements like this as though they mean we need to feel the shame of arrogance and hypocrisy. The shame sin causes is inevitable. But God’s purpose isn’t to impart it. He wants to elevate you above it so your view of others matches His view. This might be the most profound portion of these verses—God is taking you through a process that heals both you and others.

Think about it. What is the natural result of clearing the log from your own eye before trying to clear the speck from someone else’s?

Go back to the end of the passage where it says, “and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” It is undeniable that embedded in your own journey of holiness, God’s plan is not just for you to see yourself more clearly. In the process of increasing your self-awareness, He is teaching you to see others more clearly as well.

Reflection Questions:

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