forgiveness.... again :)

I hope with all these posts about forgiveness I'm not making it seem like I have a lot to forgive someone for, cause that's not the case. It's just been on my mind lately :)

Today in New Testament (I know, I know....) Brother Smith pointed out the difference between Matthew 7:3 and Luke 6:41. One reads:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

and the other:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Then we talked about the difference, and which is scarier. To me, I'm much more concerned that I have faults that everyone else can see clearly that I'm just not perceiving. I know I do, because sometimes they are made quickly and painfully apparent to me.

I've never thought about these verses in this way before... I'd always thought it was just to remind us that we have our own big sins to worry about, so don't judge your brother. Now it's a reminder to me that I have huge faults that I'm not even aware of that people are forgiving me for every day.  If I can't perceive a beam, how can I blame them for not perceiving a mote?

If I remember have my own beams that I need to just work on perceiving and removing, forgiving my brother for his little motes becomes a lot easier.  They might not be aware, or they might be. Mostly, I need to work on relying on the Spirit, fixing myself, and remembering that I am so, so, so far from perfect.

Thanks, God, for this amazing lesson today :) Perfect!