House Assessment
How easy it is to assess someone else's house. I don't even think I do it consciously. I walk my dog, and I notice the weeds growing up on someone's property. I might think to myself, "It would just take a few minutes of weeding and their yard would look so much better." I go to a friend's house and notice the broken doorknob in their bathroom. "Why, all they need to do is grab a screwdriver. It would be fixed in 2 minutes." I'm quick to see, quick to assess, and even quick to judge.
I wish I could say I do the same when I walk back into my own home, though. I've grown used to seeing the broken towel rack. I've become accustomed to dealing with a dysfunctional toaster oven. I no longer notice the peeling paint in the bedroom. What I would quickly notice and judge about someone else's house, no longer stands out to me in my own.
So on occasion, I need to take a step back. When Spring cleaning comes around, I try to look at my house objectively. Now, I don’t beat myself up about it. I simply try to look around with an impartial perspective. And it’s amazing what happens when I do. The things I grew accustomed to looking at and even made excuses for, are suddenly seen for what they are. Like my overcrowded closet filled with clothes I hardly wear. I realize how much hoarding I’ve been doing and start weeding out the unnecessary items that are only taking up space in my home. Or my dirty living room windows and ripped window screen. It hasn’t even been on my to-do list to clean and fix up to this point, simply because I’ve grown used to putting up with it.
It’s usually in these moments that I realize I have no room to judge other people’s homes, for I have enough to be concerned with in my own! The same is true in all aspects of judging people. How easy it is to see the dysfunctions in other people’s homes, marriages, kids...and quickly criticize them - as if I’m some sort of expert! HAHAHA! Who in the world am I fooling? Well, if I’m standing there judging others, I guess I’m only fooling myself.
But listen, I should never assess myself by myself. If I do that, it could lead to striving and self-righteousness as I judge myself and try to fix myself. Like in everything I do, I must grab the Hand of Grace and let Him walk me through the halls of my ‘home’. Only He can shine Light on the the things that need repair. Only He can help me fix the broken parts. And only by His Grace can it get done - without an ounce of condemnation.
It’s usually in these moments that I realize I have no room to judge other people’s homes, for I have enough to be concerned with in my own! The same is true in all aspects of judging people. How easy it is to see the dysfunctions in other people’s homes, marriages, kids...and quickly criticize them - as if I’m some sort of expert! HAHAHA! Who in the world am I fooling? Well, if I’m standing there judging others, I guess I’m only fooling myself.
But listen, I should never assess myself by myself. If I do that, it could lead to striving and self-righteousness as I judge myself and try to fix myself. Like in everything I do, I must grab the Hand of Grace and let Him walk me through the halls of my ‘home’. Only He can shine Light on the the things that need repair. Only He can help me fix the broken parts. And only by His Grace can it get done - without an ounce of condemnation.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:1-5 NIV
http://bible.com/111/mat.7.1-5.niv
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