Keepsake #9

“Dear Lord forgive me for falling short in so many ways, forgive me for being critical of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Please give me wisdom to correct without passing judgment.” Date unknown.

What you read was an highlighted excerpt from a prayer. As always I was prepared to write a keepsake but instead reading the excerpt prompted me to read Matthew 7.  I read it in various translations. This keepsake is a prayer from reading my reading.

Remove the planks for my eyes God.

I pray to not pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults, judge them—unless, of course, I want the same treatment or to be measured by the same standard and measure I use. 

I pray to remember that the same treatment, measure, and standard I use to judge others will be used on me. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.

 At times God, it’s easy for me to see a smudge on my neighbor’s face, to worry about the speck of sawdust in my their eye and be completely oblivious to the fact that I can’t see well because I have a log in my eye. Please forgive me. I have no right to judge others when they sin or make a poor choice. I have logs I can’t see. I have planks in my own eye I need to pay attention to. 

Make clear when I am trying to help my brother or sister remove their plank without acknowledging I may have one I can’t see.

When I do notice something and I decide to speak I pray to be loving, compassionate, and forgiving.

I pray to not be a hypocrite. God search the eyes of my heart, see if there are any planks in them and lead me to get help to get them removed. As I do that, fill me with wisdom, humility, and compassion to help others with their planks. May I do so gently as I understand  how painful it is to remove planks for the eye. Afterall, I am human just as the person whose plank I am trying to remove. I am not holier-than-anyone. I have planks I can’t see. 

In Jesus name I pray, amen!