A Humbling Spicy Speck

If you hate reading: I recorded this post so you could listen while you go about your busy day😊

I was enjoying a bag of Chili Lime Quest Chips, just minding my own business, when all hell broke loose in my eye. If you’ve never had the Chili Lime flavor Quest chip, let me fill you in-

These chips are ¡Ay, Chihuahua! spicy!! lol

A little chip projectile landed in my eye from the force of my bite & I that’s when I performed the funniest “show” my kids have ever seen lol.

I made a mad jumpin’ jack flash dash to the kitchen sink & began frantically throwing water at my eyes (& face, & body, & floor) to put out the raging fire in my eye. In the midst of this chaos, I was reminded of this passage from the Bible-

 Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 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. Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy.  Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Matthew 7:1-6

You may be thinking- wow kortney, you must be super guilty of this if God had to wake you up with a spicy chip in your eye lol. & you’d be right! What a humbling reminder!

I do find myself judging others & can get self-centered at times. Just because I write about Jesus & talk about Jesus does NOT mean I am without fault or that I have all the answers! Everything The Holy Spirit Prompts me to write or say are lessons & reminders for me as well!!

Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 14:26

 I struggle just like everyone!

I have gone through SO MANY trials (& will go through many more), I have been degraded, hated, humiliated, spit on, cussed out, received death threats, hate messages, have been on my knees face down in the dirt questioning God, & I have lifted my head through tears & shame & pain begging God for answers that I have yet to receive.

I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I have mostly questions and hardly any answers.

I. have. so. much. to. learn.

But here is what the Holy Spirit taught me through the ole chip in the eye scripture reminder-

It is easy to let our past & pain keep us captive. We get caught under its weight, so much so (that) we justify judging & talking poorly of others as a way to cope with our own anger, pain, regret, & envy.

I am sure there is a more scientific psychological explanation as to why we judge & gossip about others but regardless, I believe it is always a matter of our own heart and stems from personal pain, envy, or jealousy.

Envy is a sort of jealousy of the “success” of others. When we are envious, we become overwhelmed by sadness. We seek to alleviate that sadness by thinking/speaking poorly of the person that we are envious of, in an attempt to diminish their good qualities to make us feel better about ourselves. We tend to gossip to harm those whose popularity, talents or lifestyle we envy.

Envy is one of the major reasons I stopped scrolling on social media altogether, to protect my own heart.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23

We don’t know anyone’s entire story…& how often have we jumped to judgment without having all the information? In doing so, we are doing exactly what Jesus warned us not to do!

You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil slanderous talk. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32

Kindness and Compassion.

Don’t let Judgment impede kindness & compassion. When we truly love and care about others, then we aren’t quick to judge.

Which leads me to this-

We can’t do this on our own. Only by the Holy Spirit are we able to love like this. My prayer is that the Spirit will teach us how to love in this way and help us turn from our self-centered, envious ways.

I know….I know….all this is easier said than done but my prayer is that we at least start to catch ourselves in the act. When you begin thinking/talking poorly about someone, I pray you think of my chip story in that moment – desperate and frantic for water to wash the speck of spicy chip out of my eye.

I pray for that same desperation for all of us for the Word. A desperation and desire to draw near to God, so that we may do better by Him and in turn be able to genuinely love others as Jesus loves & resulting in other’s coming to know Him. Because that is so much more purposeful and pleasing to God.  

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

James 4:11-12

Guard your hearts, dear friends, & draw near.

Jesus is coming back soon.