Eye See

Out of all the quirks and imperfections I have, I've found my perfectionist knack to be one of my biggest downfalls.

Now, when it comes to organization, projects, etc...this trait can be a plus. In school it was actually kind of a God-send.

Yet in the world of real life, it can become more of a hindrance than a help. Especially when it comes to people. I will be the first to admit that I hold high expectations of my friends, family, and people whom I care about in general. Now you may be thinking "...and this is a problem because?" Well in some aspects it's not. It's always good to have standards when it comes to relationships with others. On the flip side, when it gets to the point that I'm mentally picking out what's wrong with those around me and thinking of all the ways THEY need to change, well...then changes with ME need to start. (Now, I'm not saying I go around looking for people's problems or am constantly eyeing people up and down...I just find myself sometimes focusing more on other's imperfections rather than my own.)

Hiding in the book of Matthew is a verse (Ch. 7:5 to be exact) that goes like this:
"Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye."

Now, is it implying that we have round tree trunks sticking out of our pupils? No...don't be ridiculous. (Though, the imagery of such a thing is rather laughable.)

What this verse is trying to show us is, to put it in modern terms, we need to stop being nit-picky of other's issues and focus on how we can fix ourselves first.

I'm trying to create a new habit of this. When I find myself thinking of something that someone else needs to change I pause my brain. I flip through the files of my mental lobes and think of times that I've done that same thing or something similar. Instead of pointing a finger of judgment, I try to focus on the root why of said person might be doing that. There might be an underlying issue that is causing said actions. It's not an easy habit to form, but I've got my whole life to continue to work on it and improve.

Now if you'll excuse me...I'm off to pull a pretty hefty log out of my optical region.