READ: MATTHEW 7:1-5; GALATIANS 6:1-10

“What are they doing?” I grumbled to myself, watching a bright orange pickup truck in my rearview mirror weave in and out of traffic behind me. The driver apparently wanted to go faster than the cars in front of them, and kept tailgating the other cars and zooming over to the next lane to try to get ahead. This orange truck was far enough behind me that I didn’t feel unsafe, but I kept watching scornfully in my rearview mirror.

Suddenly, I realized it had been several seconds since I actually looked at the road ahead of me. I had been so preoccupied with the orange truck that I wasn’t paying attention to my own driving. Thankfully, the road was calm and nobody had slammed on their brakes ahead of me, otherwise I could have gotten into an accident. I felt a prick of guilt thinking about my kids sitting in the back seat and how they could have been hurt because I wasn’t paying attention.

Sometimes, we do the same thing in our spiritual lives. We see somebody do something outrageous and obviously evil, and we get so wrapped up watching them and judging them that we fail to notice our own sin. And sin always causes hurt.

The truth is, I have no control over how other people act. When somebody does something terrible—especially somebody I don’t know personally—I can mourn their sin and pray for God’s restoration, and that’s about it. Everything else is just gawking. But when I see sin creeping its way into my own heart, I can actually do something about it. I can look to Jesus, who died and rose again for me—and for the driver of the orange truck—and ask Him to take this sin away from me. I can lean on His strength, forgiveness, and healing, and seek His wisdom in how to move on. And I can look forward to the day when He will return to resurrect us from the dead and rid the world of all sin—including mine—permanently.

And that does a lot more good than gawking. • Taylor Eising

• Why do you think it’s easier to focus on other people’s sin than our own sin? In what areas of your life are you tempted to do this?

• God already knows all our sin, and He has secured our forgiveness through Jesus’s death and resurrection. Consider taking a moment to confess any of your own sins that come to mind. You can ask for His restoration and guidance in your own life, and also in other people’s lives.

“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?” Matthew 7:3 (NIV)