I learned a valuable and lasting lesson when I needed to “cast the beam out of my own eye.”

I was employed as an aide at a Christian Science nursing facility.  Oftentimes I had to work with a nurse I just didn’t like.  She seemed sullen, gruff and rather unpleasant – even around the residents.  Needless to say, I didn’t like working with her – which really was a problem because we were often the only two staffers on duty during the late-night shift.

Fortunately, I had the God-given sense to realize that MY thoughts were amiss, and that I (not the nurse) was in need of a healing.  I knew I needed to correct my erroneous thoughts about her and “behold the perfect man”  of God’s creating.  I sure didn’t want to be guilty of mental malpractice toward her or anyone by being so critical.

I worked a lot with the Bible verse about removing the beam from my own eye – my harsh judgement was like a beam making me blind to all her goodness.  I also worked with the Bible verse, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t long until I began  to wonder how I could have ever disliked her.  I realized she had a wonderful sense of humor (I just didn’t get it before), and she was extremely kind and caring to the guests.  She wasn’t transformed (she didn’t need to be), but my perception of her was, and we had great fun working together.

This healing has helped me immensely!  For the most part, believe it or not, I like (and try very hard to love) everyone now – after all, if God loves them, I should at least be able to like them – remembering… who am I to judge/criticize someone else?  We don’t have to be best friends, but I try to remember that each and every one of us is a child of God and we are all in this together working God’s purpose out.

I don’t worry about other people liking me either.  I assume they do because I like them.  Bottom line, what really matters is that God loves all of us.

Judging others is a heavy burden that is no fun at all!  Seeing the good in others results in so much more happiness, and the more we practice it, the easier it becomes because Godly qualities are ALWAYS there.  Sometimes people aren’t even aware of their own goodness, so we can point it out – another opportunity to practice a radical act!

Nina, your comment on this beautiful and meaningful experience is in line with something I’ve been thinking about recently – “Learn to be, and by being heal”. No words required.

I’ve been thinking about the lens of the “eye” in this Radical Act. Last summer we visited the San Simeon lighthouse on the central coast of California. They talked a lot about cleaning the lens so the light could shine out. Wouldn’t casting the beam out of our eye be cleaning the lens of material, limited thinking? I’ve heard it said that matter is a limited perception of spiritual reality.

My brother was born angry. He would arch his back so you couldn’t hug him. He’d make a fist and glare at you. Forget regular school. He has children now, and I wanted to help them. I called and talked with their Sunday School teacher, and I quickly told her how my brother was the black sheep in the family and how worried we were about his kids. This teacher said quietly, God  doesn’t have any black sheep in His family.

It was like my lens was cleaned. Doused. I suddenly saw my brother as God sees him. I realized my earlier prayers and efforts to help were based on a fuzzy, incorrect view of him. With clean lenses I clearly saw a rainbow of excellent qualities in him.

The dark shadow of limiting my brother was thrown out of my thinking. I can’t believe I bought into that lie about him ever. My beam, or log was cast out. Light can’t go through wood. And wow! Now I see how much God loves my brother! God is taking care of him and his children so thoroughly that not a speck of need is overlooked. So much good has come into their lives and mine recently. The real pot of gold is the warm love we are feeling for each other. Thank you Sunday School lighthouse keeper.

So, today’s “take the beam out of my own eye” is a story failing at yesterday’s challenge to ‘love an undesirable’.

I went to an event and really had to get prayed up to even want to go to.  I got to a lovely heart place of “we are all the children of God playing and growing together”  (a carryover from Day One’s – Be Childlike) and went into the venue feeling quite eager to be there.

The event included round-table dialogue and there was a person at my table who just launched into criticism.  He wouldn’t even give his name when we introduced ourselves and began the interaction with a slew of negatives in the spirit of “you people are cold, you people don’t care, you people….” Another in the group tried to shut him down which just heightened the tension and volume. I actually did think of the day’s radical demand but in that moment, I couldn’t get there, I just wished he’d go away. No wonder people were cold to him. Everyone was uncomfortable and the topic focus had derailed before it even got going.

But suddenly, the woman sitting next to this man ever so gently in both her tone and body language just leaned in to calm him, reassuring him softly that she heard him and could understand how he felt.  And he melted immediately. It wasn’t her words.  I could sense her tenderness towards him.  His tone softened and he began to contribute constructive ideas.

How could I have not seen that he was feeling like an outcast?  That he was feeling hurt, not by us at the table, per se, but nonetheless.   The demand of Mary Baker Eddy that we learn to bind up the broken hearted was not lost on me.  The woman sitting next to this man modeled it beautifully.

The good news is that I did bear witness to “the befriending” then and there and later as I pondered it, trying not to beat myself up over my own lackluster response, I let myself just feel humbled, and asked God to help me do better next time.  Which must mean a beam’s been dislodged…..and maybe I won’t even see a Pharisee tomorrow :)