One of the residual effects of creating cameras on cell phones is the exposure of what we think about the most—our self! I’m amazed at how many of us take selfies. When at Disney World last summer with my family, while waiting for the princess to step out of her castle to give the morning greeting, a young girl with her friends got up on the steps and took selfies. One was especially obsessed with herself because she even had her friend take pictures of her with her camera while she tried to make what she thought were glamorous poses.
Interestingly, some of the recent cell phone cameras create better pictures than those of a semi-pro camera while being as capable, easier to carry and use at a moment’s notice. Why? Because the designers of the cameras observed people like to take pictures, especially of themselves or with a friend. What a person doesn’t realize is that how they use the camera exposes how highly the person thinks of himself/herself.
Another thing most all of us do that exposes how we think of ourselves is in how we judge others! When we fell threatened with another person we criticize or judge them. In reality we are tearing them down in order to build up how we feel about ourselves. How low we cut them down shows how desperately we feel we need to build up our self-image. When the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were calling Him a blasphemer, knowing their thinking, ..He asked them, “Why do your have such evil thoughts in your heart?” (Matthew 9:4, NLT2). What were these men doing that is so different from how we attribute evil motives to someone else’s appearance, behavior or speech by saying something sarcastic or cynical about them?
The sad truth is, we meet with failure when we attribute evil motives to the actions of others by saying something like, “He said, but he meant.” In Paul’s letter to Titus he wrote, Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted (Titus 1:15, NLT2). What might this be saying about highly critical people or our criticism of others?
It is important for us to look beyond the one we are making to look less than us and realize that to attribute improper motives to others means that we are doing Christ as well as the other person a disservice. How? We are destroying Christ’s image in that person. We must believe that His Spirit is working in him as well as in us. Judging others is the grossest form of self-worship. It says God is working in only me. Ouch! I feel convicted just writing these words!
Holy Spirit, please remind me of what Jesus taught about the mote and the beam. It is more evident now that I see motes in others only because I have beams in my own eyes. If I truly saw the evil in my own heart, I would not condemn; I would confess. My faultfinding means I have more to learn, more to grow, and more to do to become like Him. I am reminded of Paul’s words in the Message, So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit (Romans 14:10, MSG). Watch out for what those selfies are revealing in you or others.
OUCH!!! This cuts right to the core!