A little irritant

After being up for a bit this morning, something got into my eye. My hope was that it would go away on its own. That if I could create some tears it would wash its self out. I had been up since 5 a.m. and wanted to go back to sleep. Well whatever it was was persistent and I finally got up and flushed my eye. I wanted whatever it was out. I couldn’t take it any longer.

Then I thought about the scripture (Matthew 7) where Jesus admonishes us to take care of the beam in our own eye before attempting to help remove the splinter in our brother’s eye. I know this much, I was no good to anyone this morning until I got whatever that was out of my eye. Anything in ones’ eye screams to be washed out. An irritant in such a sensitive area demands removal.

A beam is a large piece of wood! We’re talking about a huge piece of lumber, a plank from the old pirate movies, a 2×10 if you will.

My question is how does one become desensitized to something that big in such a sensitive area? And at the same time feels the need to minister to someone with a splinter? That’s deep!

Jesus was teaching that we are tolerant of the gross negligence within us and justify it, yet at the same time intolerant of even the smallest mishaps from our brothers and sisters. Jesus is talking about hypocrites. Somehow the dirt we do is OK because of so called extenuating circumstances – the plank, but the oversight by our brother or sister – the splinter, requires that you point it out and attempt to render aid. Do you know how insane this looks? Remove the big ole piece of wood from my own eye first, then I can help someone else. What a novel idea Jesus!

I know I was miserable this morning with whatever was in my eye. And finally when I couldn’t take it any longer had to do something about it and trust me it wasn’t long either!

May God help His people to become sensitive to what is in their eye and ask Him to wash out whatever that thing may be.

Happy Saturday everyone.