Integrity

Integrity

Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?

Matthew 7:3

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and the angels know of us.

THOMAS PAINE

The story is told of a prosperous young Wall Street broker who fell in love with an actress who was beautiful, talented, and dignified. He wanted to propose to her, but because he was a cautious man, he decided that before asking her to marry him he should hire a private investigator. He wanted to see if there was anything in her past or present that might threaten his fortune or harm his reputation. He made it clear to the investigator that his actress friend should not be informed about the investigation. When the report came back, it said that the actress had a fine reputation and that she chose friends of quality. The report concluded, “The only shadow is that she is often seen around town in the company of a young broker of dubious business practices and principles.”

Maybe the actress should have hired the investigator! This story illustrates the importance of looking at our own hearts before we judge others. It’s easy to busy ourselves with someone else’s problem or flaw and ignore our own. Jesus never said there is anything wrong with careful discernment, but he said discernment must always begin with looking inside ourselves.

Father,

Forgive us for looking first to the problems in another person’s life. May we look first to our own hearts with honesty and humility. Amen.