Personal mistakes

Matthew 7:1-5

            There is a danger in life when people flippantly excuse behavior by saying, "well, everyone makes mistakes".  Basically saying, there are no standards at all. Striving for the betterment of your job, profession, personal spirituality and character are a waste of time because, heck we all make mistakes.  Seems pretty willy nilly to me.

          The key for me is that there are in fact standards but they are not clubs to be beaten with when you make a mistake. Nor is your character or self worth to be so wrapped up in your own 'perfection' that if you actually admitted you made a mistake you would be filled with self loathing.

         It is possible to have standards. It is possible to admit you made a mistake without it affecting your self worth. There are two things that are necessary. One is that you learn from your mistakes. Acknowledge them, own them, learn from them. Second, have empathy for others knowing we all make mistakes. That second part is the key to this passage. Let us not judge lest we be judged. 

          Sometimes it seems easier to find fault with everyone else than admit our own faults. The world will be a much better place when we acknowledge our own faults and then we'll be able to appreciate other faults and mistakes.  

         When we think we are 'that good' and 'all that' we are really setting ourselves on a pedestal that only belongs to God. God loves us immeasurably in spite of our mistakes but we are not God.          

‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “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 neighbour’s eye.