Seeing Clearly

You know what it’s like when you get something in your eye: you’re focussed on this irritation until you’ve managed to remove it. Yes, you can see, but often you’re not really taking on board what you’re looking at, and your eyes may be half-closed, as you concentrate on whatever is there. Imagine what it would be like, then, if you had a log in your eye, and you do not even notice it, or that you are not seeing properly (see Matthew 7:1-5). You think your sight is perfectly clear, and that, therefore, you have perfect judgement to pronounce on what it is you see, not noticing that your sight is blocked and you are not seeing the whole picture.

It is almost certainly true of most of us. We do not know, cannot see the whole picture; what we do see is probably at least slightly skewed, depending on our own perspective. Have you ever thought or commented on someone else’s behaviour, only to feel horrified or ashamed as you realised that there was far more going on than you were aware of? It is so easy to judge those around us: that grumpy old person, not knowing that the grumpiness is due to loneliness or pain; that screaming child, knowing nothing of their background or what causes that behaviour; the rude adolescent, who is actually painfully shy; the bully, who has no idea that they are asserting themselves at the expense of everyone else. Not that all that behaviour is necessarily right or good. It isn’t; and some may need to be stopped, such as the bullying. This is not about our outward response, but about our inner reaction – although, of course, the two can not be easily separated. But it may be that our response will be far more effective if our inner reaction is not one of judgement and/or condemnation. That reaction says far more about ourselves, than about those around us. As Jesus says: once the log is out of our own eye, we can see clearly to take the speck out of our neighbour’s eye.

So, how big a log do you have in your eye, and how aware of it are you? We have got so used to it being there, we are not even aware of how much it is affecting our sight. Becoming conscious of how we react to others, of how judging we are, may well help us to start to see how big a log we have in our eye. We may or may not be able to clear it out, but at least if we are aware of its’ presence then we can moderate our reactions to take it into account. We can take a step back and remind ourselves that we are not necessarily right; that other views may also have validity; that there may be more to the situation than meets the eye. We can maybe begin to see that God’s view of this person is not the same as our own; that, while not excusing sinful behaviour, this person is also a beloved child of God. To begin to see that a reaction in tune with that love may be more appropriate.

Now, I will acknowledge that there are some situations where this is not only impossible but inappropriate. It is not unloving to defend ourselves against someone who is damaging us, and it is perfectly normal to feel angry or hurt or … feelings that may feel anything but loving if we have been bullied, used or abused. Feelings that may need acknowledging and working through. But what I am thinking about here is not how we react to people who have hurt us to that extent, but how we react to our neighbour, to the person we pass in the street, to the colleague we work with. Ordinary people, who are no better and no worse than ourselves. It is these people which the log in our eye will skew our picture of, it is these people we may well find ourselves judging, possibly without realising; it is these people we find ourselves feeling superior or inferior to, with no reason. How do you react to these people? What does it tell you about the log in your eye?

That log may well tell you that someone else is behaving badly in order to make you feel better; it may tell you that someone else is behaving this way not due to their own issues, but yours. It may tell you that this particular person is horrible because they remind you of someone from your past. The log in our eye can skew our sight in many different ways.  We could maybe take a step back, and try to see as God sees. Easier said than done. But a first step might be to acknowledge that God is King of this world; that it is God who will judge, not us; that the measure God uses will be different from the measure we use (thankfully). God is the one who loves us; but God is also our King, and that can lead to an awe, a wonder that can sometimes be lost. It means that God our King and Lord knows and understand things that we do not. To start to know that God is our King may well underline the total amazing nature of God’s love for us. It is not either/or but both/and. This God, this Lord, this King of the world totally loves you as you. Beginning to acknowledge this may be just a first step in eroding that log in our eye. We might not see any clearer, but at least we will know that our sight is not perfect.