Yesterday, I was discussing Christmas plans with my younger brother about what he was going to do on Christmas Eve. My parents are divorced and remarried so we have two events for Christmas Eve and Christmas day to attend. Juggling schedules can be quite challenging trying to make everything work smoothly. Well, my brother was planning on doing something outside the arrangements I thought were best, so I tried pressuring him to do things my way. He resisted my advice and I became upset.
I went to another room to cool down and think about what just transpired, and as I thought about the situation, the Lord reminded me how much I hate being pressured to do things I don’t believe I am supposed to do. The Holy Spirit proceeded to show me I was doing to him the very thing I hated being done to me!!! A scripture came into my mind while I was asking God what to do, “Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye” (Matthew 7:5 NLT).
How quick do we cast judgment on others, but do the very things they do? The next time someone irritates you and you feel like saying something, ask yourself a questions – Do I do to others the same thing that irritates me?
It is amazing how we look through rose colored glasses when it comes to our own lives, but we can easily point out the faults and inconsistencies in others.
When people start to rub us the wrong way, I pray you would ask God to reveal to you why it upsets you so much. Ask Him to remove any log in your own eye so you can see clearly to really help others instead of being a hypocrite. The more I live the more I see my own faults and selfishness; it makes me want to extend mercy to others!
After communing with God about the situation, I went back to my younger brother and admitted that I was pressuring him and asked for his forgiveness. I told him he had every right to make a decision he felt good about without me forcing my way on him.
Will you let up on others and give them a hand of mercy and room to make mistakes?