Part 3, Seeing Clearly

Now let’s walk down the path of how to resolve our conflicts.
Appropriately.
Biblically.
Wisely.
Maturely.
Effectively.








It is easy to make judgments of others, because we are naturally caught up in the lives of others. Jack Johnson captured the idea in his song "Wasting Time" with these words...

“everybody thinks that
everybody knows about
everybody else,
nobody knows anything
about themselves
cause their all worried
about everybody else.”

It is easy to make judgments of others. It is even necessary. I would say that life is largely about making judgments. My job as a dad is to teach that to my kids. I want them to judge the advice they receive and who gives it. I want them to make right judgments about choosing friends and jobs and hobbies. Life is about decision making based on our judgment of people and situations. Life even calls for us to share our judgments with others and even with the people about whom we are making the judgments. But the Bible warns us that would should tread lightly when we walk down this path.

The reason is that while we think we might see others clearly, we are often far-sighted. We seem to think we see things in others lives (speech, actions, decisions) very clearly while we are blind to our own issues. For this reason we should first look in the mirror, judge ourselves first, then and only then will we see with the clarity necessary to speak clearly with wise judgment about others. Jesus taught this very lesson in Matthew 7:3-5….

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.

We must first be willing to submit ourselves to the standard which we are going to hold someone else up to. Remember we are far-sighted and often blind to our own shortcomings, so we need others in our lives that will honestly bring clarity to our issues.


Here are some suggestions for seeing clearly:
-Make friends who will honestly & lovingly point out your weaknesses and listen to them.
-Before speaking judgment about someone else’s issue, have your friend judge you in that area.
-Consider that the speck you see in someone else might be a log in your own life.