Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye” when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (ESV)

“Can you believe how wrong the other side is?!?” “They must be blind to subscribe to that political view!” “How can they not see how ridiculous those Republicans or Democrats are!” “My candidate may have a couple of small issues but look how terrible theirs is!”  

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As much as I wish it weren’t so, this used to be my perspective. And let me be the first to admit this is such an ugly heart posture, one that is certainly not Christ-like. And as God got ahold of my heart, I began to be convicted of how wrong I truly was. This behavior isn’t just not honoring to God, it opposes his Kingdom movement.

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In today's Scripture, Jesus points out how blind we often are to our own sin. Even though we lack clarity due to our issues, we still attempt to root out the issues of others.  Our biases, preferences, and perspectives get in the way, and we become so focused on what others are doing wrong that we often miss our own glaring problems.

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One of the most flawed aspects of this thought process is that we judge others as if we are the standard of righteousness. When we pretend that we are perfect and have it all figured out, it sure isn’t pretty. Pride is often a component of this approach, and it’s not only sinful but damaging to others too. The truth is that there has been only one righteous person who walked on this Earth: Jesus. He is the standard of perfection. He is the Living God who truly wants what is best for all of us.

Thankfully we can use Jesus’ perfect example to discern right from wrong. That starts with dealing with our sin, scrutinizing our political opinions, and asking God to remove the log from our own eyes first. And with the clarity provided by our King, we can understand that we need to view others the way that their Creator does instead of through our skewed perspectives.  

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God created each and every person uniquely and for a purpose.  And the beauty of that in the political context is that we have different perspectives, gifts, and ways of doing things that provide an opportunity to achieve so much more for the glory of God together than we could in our own little echo chambers.  

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Our King is Jesus, not someone who is red or blue.  So, let's take seriously his instruction. What if you and I asked him to search our hearts the next time we find ourselves rushing to condemn someone else?  We may practice good discernment, or we might just find something obscuring our own view.  And what if we sought to scrutinize our own political views and conduct the same way we tend to do with others? Let’s commit to turning things around this time. We seek to approach it all from Jesus’ standards and example and let all of our engagement with others, political and otherwise, be founded there.  

Jesus, thank you for being the perfect example for how to live and love.  Thank you for your grace when I have been guilty of being far more concerned with the speck in my brother’s eye than the log in my own. Search me God and know my heart. Please show me how you see people and circumstances. Further my understanding of your nature and help me to reflect it in every part of my life. Amen!