Planks before Specks

In Matthew 7:3-5 and Luke 6:41-42, Jesus questions why we focus on the tiny bit of sawdust in our sibling's eye and ignore the huge plank in our eye. He questions how we can tell our sibling to allow us to take the speck from their eye when we have a plank (that we fail to see) in our own eye. Jesus calls those of us who do this HYPOCRITES!! and tells us that we must remove the plank from our own eye. Then we can clearly see so that we can get the speck out of our sibling's eye.

What do we notice? A small error/sin that we see someone else's life? Or the bigger error/sin that we see in our own life? If we are asked to describe the last sin we saw, will we describe what someone else did or something we did? 

How can we be concerned about fixing the small error/sin in someone else's life, when we are ignorant and unrepentant over bigger problems in our own life? Are we even aware of the sins we are committing? Are we engaging in introspection with the Holy Spirit as our guide? Are we reflecting on our day as we consider which of our actions pleased God and which disappointed Him? 

How often is our takeaway from a convicting sermon "I hope THEY were listening. THEY have a lot to repent of and change"? How long does the sermon stick with us? How has God changed us through His Word and sermons? 

How easily can we see the flaws, errors, and sins of the groups we belong to? How often do we hear someone talk about the obvious sins of the *other* <group> and we nod along, not concerned with the sins of our own <group>? 

We rebuke children for tattling on each other as we tell them "you worry about you" and "focus on your behavior, not theirs", yet we are still doing this as adults. We become like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable in Luke 18:9-14. We come before God, detailing the sins of other people, as we thank Him that we aren't <people of other nationalities dealing with political or physical upheaval>, or like <members of the other political party>, or like <negative adjectives used to describe other people>. 

What do we have to repent of? What plank needs to be removed from our lives? 

This week, take time to reflect on your actions, your words, and your attitudes. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin in your life. Use a pre-formed set of questions, such as the Ignatian Examen or John Wesley's Questions of Self-Examination, as you prayerfully consider what planks need to be removed from your eye.