Saturday, September 5
“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?”
—Matthew 7:3
In our distraction, we miss a host of special things right in front of us, because we are focused instead on something that really is not our concern. In our pre-occupation with the goings on around us, we shift our attention from what started our journey, and what we had longed for with such intensity slips from view.
The task of the human life is to discover the presence of God in the unique and precious kernel of our own soul. When we find that, we have union with heaven and live into the life for which we were created. There are innumerable people, experiences, and circumstances that lead us toward the end of that search.
Through the words and ideas of others, the beauty we witness, the questions we ask, the ways we spend our day, we travel a path toward the holy core of our being. We find ourselves coming close, even circling that kernel of our soul, but if we divert our focus and become consumed with the affairs of others, we may miss what is right in front of us.
There will always be distractions that will lead us away from our goal, not the least of which is our fascination with how people are or are not proceeding on their own life’s journey. When we are overly concerned or judgmental about others, we risk a misstep on our own path, and we clutter our path with garbage. Useless information and curiosity become obstacles and stumbling blocks.
How much more interesting and meaningful our journey will be if we keep our eyes gazing inward where the Holy One is to be found.
Gracious God, when my eyes stray from my own soul to the place of judgment of others, help me re-direct myself to my own inward journey.
