BIG LOGS

If you were to ask me if I thought I was a better person than others, for sure I’d tell you no. But there was an incident the other night that made me think that maybe I’m not as perfect as I must have thought I was. That though Christ has been working on me for 50-some-odd years now, He’s still got lots to do.

Over the 40 years of  our marriage my husband has gifted me with several pieces of beautiful fine jewelry. Our jeweler friend thought that an appraisal would be appropriate and we complied. One necklace didn’t get included and was scheduled to be brought in to the store at a later date. Last night I went to get it and it wasn’t to be found. Not anywhere I looked. It wasn’t anywhere my husband looked. Really, it was not. (Not even in the garbage or in the recycling bin—yes, he patiently looked even there.)

The search went on for a couple hours. I retraced my steps. I imagined scenarios. “If I had been here, maybe I would have done such-and-such.” And let me just say that when I have misplaced something, I can’t seem to turn my mind off about it. I go ‘round and ‘round, rethinking and reimagining and relooking–the proverbial dog-with-a-bone scenario. I asked God to help  with the search, to help me remember where I might have put it. Frustration mounted as I recalled an incident earlier in the summer when we were involved in another search—this time for my husband’s wallet. I had been helpful, but oh-so-smug, now that I thought about it. “You know, if you’d just put your things in the same place each time when you were finished with them this wouldn’t keep happening," I remember saying (‘cause, well, you know, it kind of does keep happening!). It was as if that Barb  then was reminding this Barb now, “You know, if you’d just…”

Yes. Clearly I needed to be more careful. More organized. And a lot, lot less judgmental. Jesus knew how we were. How I am. Remember the “specks and logs” He talked about in Matthew 7?  “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

The necklace? I found it, in a very odd place. Perhaps I’d have found it sooner, but for the big log in my eye.