Sin in our lives is going to distort our vision. Short and simple.
How can you think of saying, “Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,” when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Jesus was teaching, and told his listeners not to judge, or they would be judged in the same way. Jesus recognized how easy it is to slip into a judgmental stance and yet be completely blinded by our own weakness and sin. With a very approachable image, Jesus cut right to the point; proper discernment starts with recognizing our own weakness. Maybe once we deal with that we will be better prepared to help others.
your weakness
It’s the way it seems to work… The things we most criticize in others we are oblivious to in our own lives. If we want to have discernment about what is happening around us, spiritual insight into the way God is moving, we need to start by getting our image of ourselves straightened out.
This is not meant as an opportunity to beat yourself up, but to honestly assess where you are. Are you growing the way you would like? God is well aware we aren’t perfect. He isn’t expecting more of you than he himself will give the strength for. So we need to start by honestly looking at where we have come from, so that we can understand where we have still to grow. If we will stop the frenetic pace long enough to let God show us what he has called us out of, we will see that we are already growing more like Him. There are pain points - areas we struggle with. These we can more easily identify.
But there are other areas that we may be more accustomed to - we may not even see the danger. Prayer is what is required here. It may not be “sin” - but just an over-commitment that keeps us from growing and serving where God would have us. It may be a habit that causes us to be unable to use our material possessions to meet needs the way God desires. It may be a pattern that causes you to be more stressed, less patient, less kind - and less aware of the opportunities around you.
Whatever God points out, we need to be willing to give over. God has our best interest in mind when he calls us to put him and his kingdom first. If we would take that seriously every day, there is no end to what God could do among us. We would see lives completely transformed.
seek forgiveness
Nehemiah portrays this wonderfully. Whether personal sin or corporate failing, Nehemiah calls the people to look to God as the solution. God knows us perfectly. He doesn’t want us to wallow in self-pity. He wants us to take hold of his gift and move on with new power. He wants to see the walls rebuilt, a dying people given new life.
This is incredibly personal - and by that, I mean you personally must be engaged. Even if the sin or failure is of the people at large, there is a way in which you can offer that sin to God for reconciliation. This is the example of Nehemiah in chapter 1.
Of course, the language of forgiveness has been cheapened in our culture. We tell our children to apologize when they hurt one another - but often the apology is lip-service. It is forced and not true. God called the people to demonstrate their change of heart by action. They were not only to be sorry for what had happened and was happening, they were to make positive changes to rectify the matter. This is recounted in Nehemiah 5, 9 and 10. The action was a proof of a changed heart. It was clear evidence that God was doing something in his people.
moving on
Once our vision is set right, God will use us to strengthen others. With an awareness of our own weakness and fail-points, we will offer criticism with mercy and patience. We will be able to tell the difference between petty issues and those that threaten to rupture God’s work. The body is need of believers who have spiritual discernment - and God has gifted some more than others with a sense of what is going on in the spiritual war around us. But the spirit within us gives every believer the ability to confidently follow God with hope, daily.
No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you.