The log in my eye...

Have you ever read a Bible verse and felt like it was written for someone else? Mostly, the feeling about wanting it to be about someone else is because it seems a bit harsh, or maybe too true, or it could be that it hits too close to home. A few posts ago I shared the story of the "water tower" and how hard it was to see it when we were closer to it. I think that is good metaphor to consider as you read these verses:

Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Wow, now that's harsh. "Hypocrite", not something anyone wants to be called.

At the beginning of 2007 I took a trip to Singapore to visit my daughter and son-in-law. The picture to the right is a picture I took of the plants that my daughter was taking care of while her mother-in-law was out of the country for a few months. I made fun of her and even felt it was worthy of memorializing in picture and on the internet. She didn't see the humor in it but I assured her it was funny.

Well, the shoe is on the other foot now. Or should I say now that I've removed the log in my own eye I can see more clearly. How hard can it be to take care of a few plants? Water them and watch 'em grow. Really, it should be that easy. However, it is not. I was put in charge of two little plants to care for while my daughter lived in Singapore for a while. Someday, when they come back to the states to live, she wanted to know her plants would be here waiting for her. As you can see by the pictures below, they aren't going to make it...

......................The bamboo plant is dieing of "incorrect planting".
The African Violet, death by over watering and neglect.
.............................
Yes it is all very tragic but a good lesson to learn. Hopefully, the lesson learned with a couple of plants will prevent me from missing other "logs" that may be in my eye when I'm busy pointing out the "specks" in someone else's.

PS: Sorry Kelly, one - for making fun of you, AND two - for killing your plants. :(