Rod & Rose

  “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

Each morning, as I gather my thoughts to pray,  I always begin with Psalm 139…seeking wisdom and discernment. Before all else, I ask God to search my heart, knowing there is nothing good in my flesh. My natural tendency–on my own–is to be too quick to judge or criticize. I’m too quick to wag my finger in the face of my enemies. And too often, in the faces of those I love. So I begin my morning prayer with “Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” ~Psalm 139:23-24

It’s not an easy prayer to pray. When I pray this way, I open my heart to allow God to continue his sanctifying work in me…a NEVER ending process! It’s a process that is never without pain…necessary, humbling pain. His holy fire burns off the impurities of my flesh that contaminate my deepest longing to be pure. When ignored, these impurities spill over  into my thought life,  the words I speak, and the choices I make. They influence the way I treat others.  

Jesus called these things that distort our perception and damage our relationships “planks.” These cumbersome planks come in all shapes and sizes: a haughty spirit, a critical tongue, or an unkind look of disgust. The list goes on.  Each plank, if left unattended, can potentially become an insidious habit.

So as I approach Papa God each morning, I must be willing to allow him to show me my own planks, before I can even begin to offer counsel to those in my circle of influence. God invites me to willingly surrender to him, and to allow him to surgically remove the unwieldy planks from my eye…the eye of my heart. For that is where the wellspring of life resides. His Word says,  “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23.

When I’m not willing to surrender my will for his……when I run away and hide from the truth, the wake of my pride and disobedience causes devastating consequences. But when my heart is aligned with his–truly aligned–God performs his best surgery with his holy Word. With it he corrects my vision, and compels me to restore that which I’ve damaged.  His Word penetrates deeply–it convicts, it corrects and it humbles me.  His Word resonates with compassion that’s just right, and mercy that enables me to open my heart to further understanding. His promises hold me steady as he puts things back into perspective…his perspective. He realigns me in a way that “hurts so good!”

Suddenly the speck that once seemed so large in my brother’s eye, now seems so small. I’m now looking at his heart and loving him just like Papa God loves me…unconditionally!

If you have a plank problem, allow Papa God to remove it from the eye of your heart.   In as much as it depends on you…give God the opportunity to begin the healing of relationships in your life. Let Papa God give you the courage to set the wrongs right… allow his love to refresh the vision of your heart!  ~ In His Strong Love ~ rose