Do you see things the way they are? Or do you see things the way you are? Could you tell the difference between clear perception and distorted perception if it was your own perception? No one thinks that they do not see clearly, but how would you know? Would you know if you had a log in your own eye? I recommended that you remove the log from your own eye before you volunteered to assist your brother in removing  the speck from his eye. This is a strong illustration and should get your attention. If you want to see clearly start with the assumption that your own views are influenced by something and make no judgments until you know what it is.

You know that your car will not move while it is in neutral. What about you? You do not normally think of people as being in gear or not, but you bring your own past to the present moment with all the experiences you have had to date. These can be a hindrance if  they have given you preconceptions and narrow biased perspectives. If everything you encounter falls into neat categories previously assigned you should be suspicious of the way you view the world. If you can release these things you are in a better position to see things as they really are and learn and grow from them. You need to be in neutral if you want to move forward.

Are you aware that most of the things you buy and use are mass-produced? There are great economic advantages to this, making workers more productive and raising the standard of living for those who live in such an economy. How does this relate to your life of faith? If you see people being saved in large crusades, believing the same basic doctrines, and joining large churches, this can give the impression that faith can be mass-produced like consumer goods. Yet faith is not in the realm of commerce, and its essence is relational, which does not lend itself to mass-production. I am here for you on a one-to-one basis.

Have you received rude or hostile behavior from other people? Who hasn’t? How do you respond? The temptation and default response is to respond in kind. If you can refrain from doing this externally, how well do you control the same response internally? Have you ever harbored bitterness and resentment without saying anything, or played through self-justifying dialogues or speeches in your mind on a repeating loop? You have no control over the way others treat you but your responses are your own. You can agree with this premise and find it is easier said than done. Forgiveness and love of your enemies are as much for your sake as theirs. With me this is possible.