Beware of the Smudge on the Wall
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a little black smudge on the wall, food on your shirt, or fingerprints on the window, once you see an imperfection, it’s hard not to notice it any time you look in that direction. Our eyes tend to focus on any imperfection.
It’s the same way with the people around us. Once we see something that is not like it ought to be, that feature stands out. Maybe that person talks too loud, is always late, or consistantly brings up the negative side of a situation. Once we notice it, it becomes more irritating every time it happens.
Or it could be something more serious. Maybe you just learned that your daughter Susie is sneaking out at night.
This issue needs to be addressed and resolved. However, when we’re in the midst of the problem, that’s all we tend to see. The little black spot demands our full attention, and we no longer see the clean wall around it.
The smudge grows out of proportion, darkening our view of the person. Instead of seeing a delightful daughter—whose wrong choices are creating problems—we forget the positive things about Susie and see only trouble.
In Philippians 4:8, God tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Everybody has redeeming qualities. If we can remember the things that are honorable, commendable, and worthy of praise about the person that is causing us grief, it will strengthen us to respond in a way that will encourage them. It will increase our chances of bringing healing and righteousness into the circumstances.
In the case of the daughter, correction would also need to be applied, but restoration of the relationship is much more difficult if the black spot continues to be our focus.
None of us are clean. We all have smudges. Furthermore, we can’t help but notice the spots on those around us, especially those we interact with a lot.
But we can help what we focus on and beware of the smudge. We can choose whether to look at the little smudge, or at the good all around it.
Question: Have you experienced the life that results from having someone look beyond your black spot and remember commendable things about you—when you knew that they knew the ugly truth? How did it make you feel?
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