I Was Thinking…
“How far is too far? If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to see or hear it fall, does it make a sound?” These crazy philosophical questions are quite intriguing. I remember them from college. Philosophy wasn’t my favorite course, but it certainly got me to thinking in broader and deeper ways.
“Can we really experience anything objectively?” This philosophical question is one to ponder. Each of us bring our own filters through which we view life’s experiences. Our filters shape our mental processing and thus our responses to life’s events. Some filters are healthy, and some filters are not so healthy.
There are things in us that we know about ourselves. There are things in us that we know about ourselves that others do not know about us. Then there are things in us that others know about us that we do not know about ourselves. It is a journey of ‘self-awareness’ that moves us to maturity. All along the journey, there is this constant challenge to view ourselves and others objectively. It is a real challenge.
I suspect this is why Jesus encouraged all who would listen to not judge each other. Leave judging to our God and God alone. This challenge to be objective is illustrated when Jesus talks about a log and a speck in our eye (Matthew 7 and Luke 6). It seems Jesus knew all too well how tempting it is to focus on someone else as a tactic to keep us from the hard work of focusing on ourselves.
This week I challenge us to think in terms of our own lives and our own reactions to life’s events. When we have a temptation to focus elsewhere, let’s pause long enough to ask ourselves “What is it in me that has me so focused on ‘them’?” One thing I am learning about myself is that when I’m looking down my nose at someone else, that usually means I’m dodging something in myself that needs God’s touch. Maybe it just me…or maybe not.
Always Thinking,
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