“How 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?”

— Matthew 7:4

Jesus gives us an important reminder here.

How quick we can be to look outward and criticize others instead of looking inward to see our own faults.

Some examples of this are what we refer to today as conscious or unconscious bias. We tend to like what we are familiar with, and we tend not to like what we find to be different. And these things have a way of shaping our judgments about others.

We also tend to think that others would be happier if they were like us. But we don’t take the time to think about what that says about us.

Jesus wants us to look inwardly and to see what our own faults are before we address the faults of others. It’s not easy to admit we have blind spots, but when we begin to see them, we have a new appreciation for others, and it is easier to show God’s grace and love.

I wonder what our conversations might look like if we took the time to talk with one another, hear each other’s stories, learn to care for one another, and discover that we might not be so different after all. Today is a good day to try clearing our own faults out of our lives.

Lord, teach me to appreciate the rich diversity you have created, and help me not to judge others based only on my perception. Help me to see my own blind spots, and forgive me when I have failed to offer your love and grace. Amen.