Monday; July 27

I spent last week in Little Rock, Arkansas.  I remember as I was planning my trip several people remarked about how hot it was going to be – and you know what, they were right.  It was toasty and humid in Central Arkansas.  Guess what else – it was hot and humid in Southern Maryland.  I don’t know what the final tally was for Sunday at home, but at one point I looked, and the heat index was 103.  As I thought about the weather, I also got to thinking about life.  How many of us are willing to comment on how things are in other places but tend to ignore the same things when it happens in our own backyard?  We are more than happy to tell you how bad things are for you – only to realize, if we were honest, we would be in a similar situation.  Jesus recognized this characteristic in people when He observed, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3).  People are people, right?  Interestingly, right before that observation, Jesus set the parameters for an interesting lesson, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:2). We need to be careful – not only in what we notice, but also the impact our observations will have on the way we are treated.

Let’s be watchful but withhold the commentary.  Maybe we can be content with learning from the mistakes of others – without, necessarily, pointing them out.

Think About It!