Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?... first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

-Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message)

How often are we quick to judge others? Quick to point out their flaws and failures, quick to assume, quick to criticize.

But we can never know the full story, or even presume to know what is truly in someone else’s heart when they do or say something. My favorite example is getting cut off in traffic. When you’re cut off, what would an unkind assumption be? That they cut you off. The result of this assumption might lead to a judgment - “They’re a jerk.” What if they were rushing to the hospital? How might a more generous assumption change your judgment of that person?

So often, our assumptions lead to judgments about a person’s character.

The truth is: we all make mistakes. We have all made poor choices. But the good news? God doesn’t see us for the choices we make, God sees us for who we are. (This reminds me of what Brené Brown often says: when you do something bad, that doesn’t mean you are bad; or as her daughter said when she was in kindergarten - just because I made a mess doesn’t mean I am a mess).

God sees us with eyes of love, kindness, and mercy. God does not know you for your faults. God knows you for who you are, at your core: kind, good, beloved. God sees you as you were created to be: made in the image of Love.

As you sip your morning coffee, I invite you to think of it this way:

A mug full of judgment breaks, but a mug full of kindness and grace fills you with love.

In love,
Pastor Kelsey