You live in a glass house
May 5, 2008 (Monday)
While watching a baseball game recently, I saw several players make mistakes. Each was immediately charged with an “error.” Some people like to play “umpire” in life. They are always on the lookout for “errors” made by other people, and they are careful to keep track of those “errors.”
Some folks don’t seem to know any other way to think. They are obsessed by faultfinding, and addicted to harsh criticism. No one is exempt from their scrutiny. “But” is their favorite word: “Yes, that’s true, but..”
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were very good at finding faults in others, but not as conscientious when it came to their own failures. Jesus was really upset with them, because they made such a big deal out of being righteous spiritual leaders who always obeyed God’s laws. Not true, said Jesus. But he didn’t just say it about them, he said it to their faces: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Matt 23:15 NIV).
An old saying worth repeating is, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” (Chaucer, 1385 AD).
It’s probable that if you maintain a sweet spirit, resolving to be less critical of others, you may influence a bitter, cynical person to sweeten up, at least a little.
The plain truth: If we dwell on the unlovely, we become unlovable.