Though our behaviors do not always show it, we were originally hardwired with an innate appreciation for getting along. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, if at some level, all human beings desire peace. But the peace you and I know is only a faint glimmer of the peace Adam and Eve once enjoyed. Their peace was a brilliant light that was almost snuffed out when they fell into sin. Now conflict, or its threat, dominates our lives. The supporting evidence appears on every page of human history.
It didn’t take long for sinners to discover that one way of dealing with guilt was to hide sin in a remote place in the heart. Over time the strategy was refined. Our generation is extremely proficient at burying the terrible truths about the things we’ve thought, said, or done. This tendency is a major issue whenever conflict is in season. It will need to be dealt with first if we are sincere about restoring terminal relationships to what God intends them to be.
Jesus takes us back to square one to make a point that would otherwise escape us. “Before you do anything,” he said, “you’ve got something in your eye—an obstruction, a hindrance, a block of some kind. You can see the hateful things that others do to you; but you are unable to see what you are capable of doing (and have done) to others. It’s hard enough to see things clearly when your sight is unobstructed.” Jesus bristled at the hypocrisy we display when we take it upon ourselves to pick at the sins in our neighbors’ lives, while ignoring the sins of two-by-four proportion in our own. (See Matthew 7:3-5).
The Great Physician knows how to deal with the flaws and blockages in our lives. He’s done plenty of similar surgeries. His power to heal rests, in part, on his divine ability to see our weaknesses clearly. Jesus sees the godless things that are hidden in our hearts. That explains why he is the Father’s personal choice as judge over all things—a role Jesus jealously reserves for himself. You and I can be Christ’s helpers in many ways, but no sinner can be the judge. Jesus forbids it (Matthew 7:1, 2).
If you are going to be of any use to Jesus, or anyone else, something will need to be done about that obstruction in your eye. It is big enough to render you blind to your own sinful motives, even though you may be convinced you know the motives of others.
The bad news is that eye surgery (or perhaps more accurately, “I” surgery) of this kind is painful and expensive. The hateful, noxious behaviors we’ve concealed over a lifetime will have to be removed.
Here’s the good news: Jesus has removed the offending blockage. The cost was priceless—his holy lifeblood. But the surgery was a complete success. Thank God! We can now see ourselves in the mirror, warts and all. And we are humbled by what we see. In such humility we can be of use to others without self-righteously judging them or speculating about their motives.
Conflict makes it especially difficult for us to hold ourselves accountable for our own wrongs. It’s much easier to point the finger of judgment at others so that no one will take note of our sorry condition. If the damage caused by personal conflict is ever to be undone and broken relationships are to be restored, I surgery is absolutely necessary. Without it you will never be able to get at the root cause of your personal conflicts.
Excerpt from Devotional Thoughts for Christians in Conflict