I heard a preacher tell a story once of an argument he’d gotten into with his wife. It had gotten heated and voices were raised. In a fit of anger he turned to the Lord.

“Do you see how she’s acting?” he demanded.

“No,” the Lord calmly replied. “I was looking at you.”

Talk about being hit between the eyes. It sounds like he got a needed wake-up call.

But before I laugh at his comeuppance; I must look at my own.

I’ve had the EXACT SAME CONVERSATION with the Lord a time or two.

Well, maybe not exactly the same. He tends to be a little gentler with me, knowing that I wear my heart on my sleeve.

He never wants to humiliate or destroy you in His chastisement.

I’d be upset with my husband over something, knowing he was wrong and wanting the Lord to handle it. I knew where I was wrong; who needed to address that? I needed him to see where HE was wrong.

“Okay, Lord,” I’d say. “Can you show him where he’s wrong? And make him feel bad too because he really hurt my feelings.” (I’m embarrassed to admit I used to ask this last part often!)

“Okay,” the Lord would reply. (Have you ever noticed He often talks to us like we talk to Him?) “But,” He continued very softly and gently, “what about YOU?”

That’s all He needed to say before I realized that He would deal with my husband in His own way but it wasn’t a conversation I’d be a part of. He wanted to deal with me about ME.

God isn’t interested in you pointing the flaws of your neighbor or your spouse or even your boss. He wants to help draw out the flaws in YOU so that you may be made more perfect, more like Him every day.