No. 84 Specs, Logs, and Juicy Fruit
/How can you say to your neighbor, 'Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye' when you yourself do not notice the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
Judge yourself by the fruit you bear, words that come out of your mouth. Luke 6:42, John 15:2,4
The horizontal arms of the Cross remind me of the horizon upon which the sun rises to extinguish the darkness of the night, and to give us warmth, and food.
With our feet firmly fixed on this muddy earth, and our arms tucked into our sides or raised high, we can look up at the stars all day, worshipping and chanting, praying and weeping, and never be able to ascend. To ascend to the land of holy immortality, we must first stretch out our arms and grow wings.
How we relate to others either forms our wings, or anchors our feet to this deeply chaotic old earth.
God-the Holy Spirit, is the Head Coach. Coaching others to hit the Mark is an honor and an obligation. Coaching is another of God’s jobs (e.g. blessing) that we can help Him do. Being hypocritical (read:hyper-critical) makes for lousy coaching, and thwarts wing growth.
How does anyone ever know if (s)he is qualified to coach? There is only one way. Look down and imagine yourself as a tree. Are your feet surrounded by ripe fallen fruit of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Humility, Self Control? Are you willing to be long-suffering? The fruit we bear are the words that come out of our mouths; our actions and our attitudes.
Judge yourself honestly.