 |
| Experience the story: click the image above to listen |
The Daily Devotional
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Cleaning Our Windows
“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is 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.” — Matthew 7:3-5
Introduction
We live in a world of high-definition screens and instant updates, yet when it comes to the people around us, our vision is often surprisingly blurry. It is a common human struggle to assess the faults of others with precision while remaining completely blind to our own shortcomings. In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses a touch of humor—the image of a person with a massive log in their eye trying to help a friend with a speck of dust—to illustrate a profound truth about spiritual clarity. He invites us to realize that the problem is rarely what we are looking at, but rather what we are looking through.
Reflection
There is a story told of a young couple who moved into a new neighborhood. One morning, while they were eating breakfast, the young woman looked out the window and saw her neighbor hanging washing on the line.
"That laundry is not very clean," she remarked to her husband. "She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looked on, remaining silent. This continued for weeks; every time the neighbor hung her washing, the young woman made the same critical comments about the dingy, gray clothes.
A month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice, bright, sparkling clean wash on the line. She turned to her husband and said, "Look! She’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"
The husband smiled gently and replied, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends entirely on the clarity of the window through which we look. The "dirt" the woman saw was never on the neighbor’s clothes; it was on her own glass.
When we are quick to judge—when we label someone as rude, incompetent, or unkind—we must pause and ask if we are seeing them clearly. Often, our perspective is clouded by the grime of our own lives: our fatigue, our unfulfilled desires, our past hurts, or our jealousy. Jesus reminds us that the "log" in our eye distorts reality. As the saying goes, "Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are."
Application
Today, challenge yourself to check the "windows" of your heart. When you find yourself feeling critical of a coworker, a family member, or even a stranger in traffic, stop for a moment. Instead of focusing on their behavior, look inward. Ask yourself: Am I tired? Am I holding onto anger? Is my patience running thin?
Your Challenge: Choose one person today whom you have viewed critically in the past. Make a conscious effort to "clean the window" by praying for them or assuming the best about their intentions. Replace judgment with curiosity and grace.
Conclusion
Our spiritual vision is precious. When we allow negativity and judgment to accumulate, we lose the ability to see the beauty and value in the people God has placed around us. By focusing on cleaning our own hearts first, we not only improve our own lives but we also learn to see others with the same eyes of compassion that God uses to view us.
Prayer
Gracious and All-Seeing God, we confess that our vision is often clouded by pride, impatience, and our own hidden struggles. Forgive us for the times we have been quick to point out the faults of others while ignoring the work needed in our own hearts. Wash the windows of our souls today, Lord, that we might look upon our neighbors not with eyes of judgment, but with the clarity of Your love and grace. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment