Worse Than A Plank In My Eye??

Is there anything worse than the planks in my own eye?

(Humorous side bar - my wife was reading my draft and pointed out the "plank" in my writing since I had the word "than" two times in my first sentence!!)

I amaze myself because, even though my planks are HUGE, I am still able to see around them to point out the speck in others' eyes!!

I feel (yes I - so highly likely some error involved) it is important to be open with people whom I have a relationship. My perception of the level of the relationship determines what I say and how I say it. I feel it is important enough that if I don't say something, I am not doing the right thing.

As in most situations, delivery is everything. I must convey in a loving manner. It is possible to be clear, firm and loving. I don't often achieve that goal.

The easy part is to act on what I think I should say. Besides the hard part of delivering a clear, firm and loving message, the hardest part for me is my additional related responsibility.

I am responsible to listen to others when they need to point out the planks they see in my life.

I stink at my delivery. Worse yet, I am wrapped up in the stink of not even trying to accept clear, firm and loving messages about the planks in my life.

I quit listening immediately.

I begin to form my own thoughts of justification.

My eyesight becomes very clearly focused on what I see now as planks in others lives. No longer are they specks - NO WAY!!

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

God created us with very powerful minds. Satan knows that and attacks us through our minds. I am not effective at taking "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ". Those thoughts that I don't take captive are the seeds of "speck" which quickly grow to be planks.

My thoughts of justification are the worst.

I need help from you. I need your boldness in delivering to me clear, firm and loving messages of the planks I need to extricate from my life.

I need the training of people pointing out to me when I get defensive as they are delivering a very important message I need to hear about my planks. I need to be much more humble to allow myself to really listen to your messages.

I really need to want to get rid of the planks that are visible because there are so many more that need to be illuminated.