“You hypocrite! First
remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to
remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5 NIV
From the time we are born,
we begin building a reputation for ourselves. We are shaped by the forces of
life around us, our parents and friends’ influences, and the choices we make.
Along the way, we face hardships that make us think about ourselves, the kind
of person we are, and the kind of person we are growing to be. Those around us
are always watching, making guesses and drawing assumptions about the person
they believe us to be…at least in their minds. Then we mess up, and it is easy
for them to categorize us, pigeon-hole us, and weigh the sentence they will
impose on our lives. For some, we are cursed by the choices we have made. We
are made to live in a social dungeon, in a prison of failure. It does not
matter if we repent or keep on doing stupid things; those former choices could
shape the perceptions of those around us until we fold our hands in rest.
Is that the end of the
story? Or are we much deeper than they want us to be.
Smugness is easy for some.
It is so much easier to believe in black in white, in a good or bad person, or
a fulfilled or wasted life. It is easy to assume that we know the motives
behind people’s choices, even though we have not lived their lives, or walked
in their shoes, or seen the world through their eyes. How can we hope to
understand them unless we search deep into our souls to find out the depths of
depravity that we all may hold inside us? We are all one step away from a wasted
life, a haunting choice, or an economic catastrophe that makes us destitute or
even homeless. We cannot change the family we were born into, or the country in
which we were raised. Circumstances and the choices of others around us can
also lead us to where we are today.
Am I excusing the bad
choices some of us make? Of course not.
Justice for crimes we commit is not only necessary but also required by
God and society. I am saying that
compassion and reason should rule our lives. We should use Christ as our
example. He even prayed for those who were literally crucifying him. He saw the person, but did not judge them to
be a lost cause or without hope. How can we not give everyone else the same
courtesy that Christ gave them?
So when you look at me, do
you think you know the person that lies beneath this skin? I am a person of
imperfection, but with a tender heart that sees the good in others, and even in
myself. I have made choices I regret and I have to live with those, but they do
not shape me. They do not sentence me to an eternity of nothingness or a life
of constant repentance and self-deprecation. I must move forward. And I must not let your
assessment of me shape the rest of my life.
When people reflect on me
at the end of my life, many will not like what they saw. Many will think they
know the person that lies beneath the soil. But only God will know that heart,
and will decide if my life is worthy of resting with him. I give my life to Him
and ask that he see the original choice I made to follow Him. May I only seek
his approval, and leave all others to their judgments.
Feel free to leave a comment or email me directly at mcdsparks@gmail.com.
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