Why are we so good at pointing out the flaws or the mistakes we see in other people? I don’t know. I can’t explain it, but we sure are good at it.
Just take a look at the newsfeed on your phone, or those pseudo news shows on television, or listen to talk radio. The media is really good at roasting public figures. We hear about every celebrity misstep. I know they make mistakes, but c’mon, they’re only human. As the campaign heats up, you can be sure staffers on both sides will be digging into the past of their opponent looking for dirt. All the while, they will be monitoring every word from the opposing candidate, both those that are planned and those that are off the cuff; looking for something they can exploit, some slip up or mistake they can use to their advantage. In sports there’s Rory McIlroy’s refusal to speak to the media after a crushing loss. He’s been roasted by a bunch of guys who have never been in the heat of competition and know nothing about the agony of defeat.
And it’s not just public figures who live under scrutiny. We do, too. Just listen to casual conversation and you’ll hear all sorts of gossip. “Did you hear about so-and-so? They did this…”. “I heard that what’s-her-name went out with….” And I’m sure you can fill in the blanks. We’re talking about people all the time, and the topic of much of our conversation centers on their flaws and mistakes. I suppose I’m particularly aware of this because I hear about my inadequacies all the time. As a pastor I’m supposed to be perfect, you know. And when I’m not, I hear about it, maybe not directly, but I hear about it. Sometimes I’ll catch some of the gossip as it works its way through the grapevine. Other times somebody will come to me and say, “I just wanted to let you know….” Either way, it stings. I’m used to it now. I’ve lived with this for thirty-nine years. I understand it comes with the territory.
But I can’t help but wonder, why are we so quick to highlight the shortcomings of others? My guess is…because it makes us feel better about ourselves. On some subconscious level we’re all playing the comparison game. We look at people in the limelight and we think to ourselves, “They may have more money or more fame than I do, but I’m a better person.” And that thought soothes our ego. We watch people around us and we say, “I haven’t done the things he’s done. God will certainly pick me.” And we feel good about our status in God’s sight. I know it sounds silly, and I know we don’t do this consciously, but on some level, thoughts like that run through our mind.
However, the truth is…we’re all in the same boat, no matter who we are, or what we’ve done. James puts it this way, “For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” In God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter if you’ve committed one sin or a whole bunch of them, we’ve all slipped, we’ve all sinned, and we’re all in the same boat. The assumptions we make when we play our comparison game are just plain wrong. God doesn’t think any more of us just because we’ve done less than someone else. We’re still guilty of sin. So, all of this nitpicking is worthless. It doesn’t do anybody any good. It certainly doesn’t make the objects of our examination feel any better, and it doesn’t do anything for us either. So…why not give people a break? They need it, and so do you…
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