An article in the newspaper proceeded to explain that the Professional Golfers Association had made a major goof. In the process of producing a golfing tournament film, they had made a blunder. In the background they had the wrong birds singing in the wrong location at the wrong time of the year. Much embarrassment prevailed. My question was not “how did it happen?” I was much more interested in the fact that someone was able to identify those bird sounds and notice that the background sounds were completely out of kilter to the location.
Obviously someone, probably an ornithologist, observed that the production was inaccurate. It seemed so small to me, but so major to them. The truth is that I did not catch it, nor did I understand about the migration patterns involved. Let’s face it, I would have been looking at golf and not being entertained by the background sounds. Others were listening to the sounds.
I have thought often of how we look differently at things in life. I think of my personal development and sometimes, I look at something I think is major in another person’s life; yet, to him, it is of little importance as compared with other areas of his life. In retrospect, it is amusing to see what I observed as a priority issue of development that should be rectified, while that person considers other issues important while growing in the Lord. That brother may have looked within and dealt with a host of items of which I was completely unaware.
Is it possible that we can behold “the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in our own eye”? “Or how can we say to our brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:2, 3) I have noticed, all too often, that something bigger than a 2 x 4 seems to be blocking my vision. While I am critical by nature, I constantly must assert every effort to be understanding of where people have been, where they have arrived, and their goals for the future.
May we return to the text, Matthew 7:2: “For in the same way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” One finds that much blessing can be missed by nit picking. While one can be correct in identifying the birds, he might become so engrossed in doing so that he forgets that the priority item — the golf game in this instance — is drawing to a conclusion. How I need to be reminded not to take over for the Holy Spirit, but recognize that He can do a better job on a fellow brother in Christ than I can ever begin to do.
ETCetera 