Sawdust and Two-by-Fours

I don’t know much about lumber, but my dad was quite a builder. Watching him at work I saw plenty of sawdust and two-by-fours. Lumber was never a problem, but I was aware that a speck of sawdust could blow up into my eye.

Jesus told parables to make His life lessons easy. *Matthew 7:1-5 is a kind of reminder to live and let live. Or, to put it another way, beware of judging others because you will also be judged.

The Apostle Paul said we live and die to the Lord. He made a specific point of asking, “Why, then, do you judge your brother? Why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat . . . (Romans 14:10).  

We humans all have flaws. While relating to one another, we do have to judge and make decisions. But what concerns me is the clouded superficial judgment illustrated by sawdust and two-by-fours whereby we try to correct one another, or sometimes cancel one another.

Do these sound familiar . . . anger, rage, malice, slander, or filthy language? They are to be put aside (Colossians 3:8). Today it seems people jump to conclusions, quickly responding with sarcastic or caustic comments (aiming to correct the speck in another’s eye). Then they move on, totally ignorant of their bad vision . . . a beam blocking good judgment (and perhaps even common sense).

When I was growing up, I had a children’s paperback with short character-building stories. I still remember the story of two sisters who constantly fought like **Kilkenny Cats. They were warned that if they kept it up, they would destroy each other.

Consider healthy solutions to avoiding problems with sawdust and two-by-fours: Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, love, and the peace of God (Colossians 3:12-14).

When it comes to social media, these apply to both sides of the coin: Writing and Response.

Let’s be honest. I’m not perfect, and neither are you, but we each impact our world. So, let’s try to recognize our blocking beam before rushing to remove specks of sawdust.     

*All scriptures are from the BSB (Berean Standard Bible) 

 **In the 19^th century, In Ireland, The Kilkenny Cats story is that they fought so ferociously only their tails remained. The Kilkenny Cats became a simile for any conflict that could ruin both combatants. (Wikipedia)

Photo on Pixabay: Woodworking, Carpentry by LazarCatt.