Microscope or Telescope?

April 23, 2013

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7: 1-5)

According to Jesus relationships are a two way street.  If you look at others under a microscope they will put you under a microscope and you will not like that.  If you look at others through a telescope they will look at you through a telescope and you will be far more comfortable with that arrangement.

When you give to people whatever standard of measurement you use they will use when they give to you.  It is your call.  Will you give with a thimble or by the truckload?

This passage shows that Jesus had a sense of humor.  Imagine a person with a one by six plank sticking out of their eye while they believe they are called to find specks of sawdust in the eyes of others.

Since this passage begins with the two words judge not many believe we’re never to judge others.  Consider this passage carefully and you will understand it is not teaching that at all.

This teaching of Jesus is telling us to judge.  It is telling us to judge ourselves first and as we relate to others decide if it is going to be a microscope or a telescope?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Dilemma of Porcupines

August 17, 2012

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)   

Communication is one of the greatest challenges we have in our life.  Whether it is in our marriage or in any of the relationships we have in our work and interactions with people on a daily basis, we find ourselves challenged by communication.

It takes courage to communicate because those who communicate with us often say things we need to hear but may not want to hear.  And we must say things people do not want to hear but need to hear.  In many ways when we communicate we face…

A Porcupine’s Dilemma

What’s a porcupine to do,
When faced with cold weather?
When the dark clouds can be construed,
Only as bringing a storm and nothing better,
 
For in a world of naught but porcupines,
Who among us should be so inclined,
To choose to envelop the other in ourselves,
Despite the threat of our sharp, prickly ends,
 
Is warmth so inviting,
Its promise so binding,
That a dozen pricks should be a necessary step,
In finding solace once the sun sets,
 
You see, in the end,
The coin flips between comfort and company,
Does the porcupine seek comfort in its kin,
Only to find pain through some sadistic irony?
 
Such is the porcupine’s dilemma,
As the wind begins to howl,
Should he enter his kindred’s embrace and suffer,
Or isolate himself and huddle down?        
 
(attributed to: Vishal Bala)

 We can be controlled by the fear of being stuck and isolate ourselves into a lonely self imposed solitary confinement.  Or, as courageous communicators, we can be controlled by the Holy Spirit and communicate very carefully—like porcupines embracing—and minister grace to our hearers.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Reality Contact

November 1, 2011

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)

A long time ago I lunched with a friend on Mondays.  I’d always ask him, “How are you, Skip?”

“Great, wonderful, marvelous and tremendous!” he’d answer.  Always!

On many Mondays I’d not had a good weekend, and life was not great, wonderful, marvelous, and tremendous for me.  But this guy was always emphatically optimistic. After this pattern continued for some time, one Monday I asked him, “Tell me something. If everything wasn’t great, wonderful, marvelous, and tremendous, how would you answer my question?”

“Oh, I’d probably lie to you,” he responded.

I then decided to rephrase my question.  I asked, “How are you, really, Skip?” He worked with a group of people who emphasized Scripture memory and they all memorized a verse of the week.  “Frankly, if you really want to know,” he said, “My verse of the week is, ‘Hang it on your beak, freak!'” We then had some really honest conversation, what I call “Reality Contact.”

What James had in mind is that if we are honest with each other we will be burdened to pray for each other.  Then as a result of our mutual prayers for one another we will be healed.  If when we meet together we are not honest, we will not pray for each other and the mutual healing will not happen.  One translation reads that our honest prayers will explode with power!

We should have this kind of relationship with a believer we trust, but we are missing something important if we do not have “Reality Contact” with someone.  Do you have that kind of relationship with anyone?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Communication Flap

October 14, 2011

“We have spoken freely to you Corinthians and opened wide our hearts to you… As a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts also.” (2 Corinthians 6: 11, 13)

Life so often comes down to relationships and relationships are all about communication. The Apostle Paul profiled that reality when he wrote these words.  He also prescribed a solution.  As a summary paraphrase of this passage, Paul is suggesting that each of us has a communication “flap” on our heart.  As a married couple we should be face to face and heart to heart with our communication flaps open.  But, the hard reality is that we are often back to back with our communication flaps closed tight.  The solution Paul models here is that someone must take the initiative and say “I am heart to heart with you and my flap is open.  Be heart to heart with me and open your communication flap.”

Communication in relationships is a problem and a challenge we can face all day long every day in our family, work life and our interaction with people.  It’s so very important to realize that someone has to initiate a solution by saying, in spirit and in principle, to the person with whom they are having a communication conflict: “I am heart to heart with you and my communication flap is open.  Be heart to heart with me and open your communication flap.”

You may be totally amazed at how taking this stance can melt down the obstacles between you and a difficult person. Throughout any given day we face  relational challenges that can be turned around through good and loving communication.  God has to begin with the person who is mature enough to initiate the solution Paul is modeling for us.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

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