Looking inward

Our pastor's wife teaches "Woman's Life" at our church twice a month, and I personally feel so lucky to be under her teaching.  It's such a great time of learning, reflecting, snacking, and socializing--perfect, right?!  
Something that she said last time that has just stuck with me, and it seems so simple, and I'm sure a lot of us have heard it before, but it is to look inward.   

Luke 6:42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? 

It's incredibly easy to see the error in other people's ways, and it almost makes us feel better about ourselves and the things we are insecure about. It's far too easy to point out what they're doing wrong, than it is to accept ways that I'm just not measuring up...areas of my life where I am just not walking in a manner that is worthy of the God who called me.  
A question that she had us ask ourselves was "Would I want to be married to me?" or "Would I want to be friends with me" ...you can apply it to any relationship in your life.  But it's a little scary to look at it that way--which is why the women in the room kind of nervously laughed when she asked that question.  We are so quick to want perfection from others, but very forgiving of ourselves.  I want Ben to load the dishwasher my way instead of his (I know I know, just be happy he's helping--I tell myself that all the time).  I cringe when he follows a car too closely.  I would rather him not walk all over the house in his work boots.  But when I have my shoes on and realize I forgot my water bottle--it's fine, I just run into the kitchen with my shoes on without thinking twice!!
So this month, and hopefully every month after, I am going to try to be especially aware about looking inward. And I challenge all of my readers (so what if that only refers to 5ish people?!) to do the same.
And most often sometimes it can be very difficult--I get it, sometimes we are all in difficult situations where we just have to let that person know about what they're doing wrong...but my challenge to myself and you, then, is to find the good and focus on that.

Philippians 4:8

 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.