Decades ago, my dear grandmother made a joke. She said, “I don’t know why people can’t see their own faults.” She paused and then added, “I know I could certainly see mine—if I had any.”
In today’s passage, Jesus highlights this very problem. He asks:
“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
Jesus knew that we are quick to spot the faults in others but blind to our own. A speck is a tiny thing, barely noticeable. A beam? That’s a heavy plank, something that should be impossible to ignore. Yet, somehow, we become experts in identifying other people’s flaws while overlooking our own glaring shortcomings.
Jesus isn’t condemning discernment—He’s challenging hypocrisy. He calls us to be self-aware, to examine our hearts before pointing fingers. Why? Because when we deal with our own faults first, we develop humility.
Jesus does not want us to be blind to the faults of others, but He does want us to clean up our own first. As one woman told me, “Sweep off your own porch before you sweep your neighbor’s.” Why is this true? Because when we examine our own lives first, we are better equipped to help others with love rather than condemnation.
So today, let’s ask God to help us remove the beams from our own eyes so we can see clearly, love sincerely, and help others with humility.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.