Puppy Poop, Wooden Beams, and Dirty Windows

When I was about 10 years old our dog Rosey had a litter of puppies.  There were 9 cute little puppies and they were so much fun.  However, you would have to be very careful where you stepped because there was a high risk of stepping in something you really would rather not have on your shoes.

One day my twin sister and I had a friend over and we played outside all day long.  And of course we played with the puppies for a majority of that time.  At one point I could smell something not very pleasant.  I knew that one of us had stepped in some puppy poo.  I told my friend and my sister to check their shoes but they said they hadn't stepped in anything.

For hours and hours I would catch a whiff of puppy poo and would tell my sister and my friend to check their shoes.  I was getting super irritated that neither one of them had cleaned their shoes because I was so convinced that they had gotten it on their shoes.  It wasn't until I was climbing up something that I caught a glimpse of something on the bottom of my shoe.  The reason I had been smelling puppy poo all day long was because I had been the one to step in it! 

I was so quick to put the blame on my sister and my friend and not once did I consider that I had been the one to step in the puppy poop.  As I've reflected on this experience I can't help but think of what the Savior taught us: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Matthew 7:3)

How quick are we to put the blame on other people?  How often do we judge others without recognizing or acknowledging our own faults and weaknesses? 

In a beloved hymn we sing a line that always resonates with me: "Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly?" (Hymn #220)

President Thomas S. Monson once spoke on this very topic of judging others.  This video shows what happens when we look through "dirty windows."

 

 

I am trying to become better at this.  Before I judge anyone else I want to first check myself for puppy poop, wooden beams, and dirty windows.  And as Mother Teresa once said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them."  I hope that each of will follow the admonition of our Savior and "Judge not." (Matthew 7:1)