Day 28: Seeing the Truth about Yourself

Surprisingly enough, I am indeed human, and I am glad for days like yesterday to remind myself of that. Although you shoot for the high parts, you can't ignore the low parts. Some people try and present the "Everything is always great!" card, and others try and score points with the "Nothing ever goes right!" card. The problem with both of those philosophies is that we aren't just lying to others, we are often lying to ourselves, and as I've said many a time, we lie best when we lie to ourselves. This ties into today's entry.

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If you are familiar with the movie National Treasure (and if you aren't, it's pretty good: barring the historical inaccuracies and the unlikely nature of the plot (which, if that's the reason you decide a movie isn't worth watching, well, you're entitled to your opinion, but I think you're missing the point), it's got action, a little romance, and a good amount of humor, and it's appropriate for younger eyes and ears), you may appreciate this analogy, or you may think I'm just totally crazy. When I read the opening part of this chapter and it was talking about going to the eye doctor, the first thing that popped into my head were the Benjamin Franklin glasses. Without explaining the whole movie plot, here's my analogy: the Declaration of Independence is kind of like the Bible, and the glasses are the Holy Spirit, and as we begin to study it and look through the different lenses, we can start to see the information that will lead us to spiritual riches that we never would have been able to see on our own. . . . OK, it's a bit of a stretch, but take it for what you will.

The point is this: I feel that most people do not take personal reflection time very seriously. In our own power, we look at our strength and build them to be something more than they are, and we take our flaws and cover them up and try to make as little fuss about them as possible. It is only through the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we start to learn true humility and begin to see the true weight of our sins and therefore repent. And once we have that attitude about ourselves, it can't help but to spread into our relationships. We get mad at people that interrupt us, and yet we are constantly talking over them to make sure we get our points heard. We shake our heads at parents who yell at their children in public while we are ripping them apart with our words in private at home. We chide our employees for laziness, and then step into our office and finish up the game of Freecell we started 2 hours earlier. We need to begin to open our eyes to the idea of being "imperfect" rather than just "good enough." The attitude of "Well, at least I don't ___________" doesn't cut it in God's eyes.

So, this chapter offers a self-test, and I offer it to you here. I hope that you will take some time out of your life and set aside a half hour to look through these questions and seek honest answers from yourself.

Questions about Ignoring the Plank in My Eye
What do I know to be true that I'm pretending is not true:
-in my relationships with others?
-in my relationship with God?
-in my thought life?
-in my business life?
-in my finances?
-in my recreation?

Do I find myself filled with anxiety or anger? What may be causing these emotions?

Is there something I know God has told me to do that I still haven't done?

Have I been focusing on the sins of others in order to hide from my own sin?

Questions about Removing the Plank from My Eye
Have I confessed my sin to God?

Have I confessed my sin to another person and sought forgiveness?

Do I have an accountability partner with whom I meet regularly for my spiritual health?

If I struggle with an addiction, what is keeping me from getting involved in a recovery program?

Have I made restitution if needed in cases where I've been cheated or hurt someone?

Is there someone I need to forgive?

Questions about Removing the Speck from My Brother's or Sister's Eye
Have I first looked for this issue or problem in my own life?

When will I talk with this person I want to help?

How should I pray specifically before we talk?

How can I state things in such a way that a spirit of mercy comes through?

What will I do if he/she responds well to our conversation? (Determine in advance what advice and support you can give!)

What will you do if he/she does not respond well to your conversation? (Determine in advance to choose to love, even if you are put off or rejected.)

Tough questions. Probing questions. Are your relationships worth it? Even if you don't think so, God tells you they are.

Point to Ponder: I HAVE SINNED. I AM FORGIVEN.
Both of those statements have to be so closely connected that you never think of one without the other. Thinking only of the first sends us into guilt and work-based grace seeking, neither of which are healthy. Thinking only of the second makes us think we have a license to sin, or at least forget the weight and power sin would have over us if not for God's grace. Either scenario makes us judge others. Keeping them together reminds us of where we were and gives us hope for not just the future, but TODAY. RIGHT NOW. And it is that awareness that can keep us from taking over God's place as judges of mankind.

Verse to Remember: James 2:13- "Mercy triumphs over judgment!"
As if we had any place to judge to begin with! And when we are merciful to others, we will often find that they will be merciful to us, and I know that I am in need of that sometimes, and I'm sure you are too.

Question to Consider: Schedule a time to personally reflect on the questions above.
Truly, if you usually just stop by here to see what's going on, or if this is your first visit, I implore you to take some quiet time (which means no Facebook or music!) (just speaking from experience) and really look into these and look into your heart. Once you start to quiet yourself and get focused, you can hear some pretty amazing things from God.