I know better than you do!

Matthew 7:1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"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? 4How 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? 5You 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.

6"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

========================================

People who didn't do things the right way used to annoy me. "Put the thing in the RIGHT place" or "Just do it THIS way" is what I thought to myself. My annoyance for perfection soon spread into spiritual areas of my life.

I would attend church and look around at all of the hypocrites dressed in suits or wearing fancy dresses. I would think to myself, "Just look at them... they probably are not giving or serving or praying." I would then listen to the pastor preach and say "I would have said it different or maybe even better."

Then I would head home and fix the kids and my wife, because they were definitely broken right?! WRONG! When I read this scripture about judging people I soon realized that GOD was talking about me.

I was the hypocrite. My lessons were geared towards remaking people into "me." My idea of perfection wasn't so perfect. I was looking to fix people who were less "broken" than I was. Sure, I was successful in the eyes of humans, BUT GOD laughed at my arrogance.

HE calmly sat right next to me and watched me trample all over people with my tactics of change. Then HE put me in "their" place. HE reversed the role, took away my status and humbled me when I left a company. People looked down at me and tried to "fix" me.

They judged me as "lazy" or "stupid" when I couldn't find work. they would say things like "Did you try Monster.com orCareerbuilder.com." They would ask "Have you tried the government? or networking?"

Wow, I was on the other side of judgment! I couldn't believe it. The same people who celebrated my success had turned into people who were judging me! Then it hit me... it wasn't them who had changed, it was me. I had to realize that all this time I had been judging others in a way that GOD didn't want me to.

My testimony now draws people to HIM because I am truly embarrassed about how I treated others. I thought that my polite smooth behavior was enough to conquer anything, when in reality it was a mask for judging people.

• GOD wants me to humbly approach people with my "broken" story.
• GOD wants me to be pure when I approach someone else.
• GOD wants my motives to be open and not hidden.
• GOD wants me to stop trying so hard to get my way and allow HIM to work.

I now realize GOD is the only one who can change the hearts of my neighbors, friends and family. When I get in the way of GOD's changes, I actually mess them up. GOD can do a much better job at "hearts" than I can. HE wants me to focus on fixing the most broken person I know. Me.

• Do you have to control every situation?
• Are you trying to change people?
• Are you easily irritated by people and their habits?
• What thing is bugging you about someone?
• Can you handle your own "pet peeve" instead of making others do it?