Planking

Jesus had a way of making a serious point with a picture you can’t forget. In Matthew 7:3–5 He says, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

It’s almost comical, isn’t it? A speck versus a whole log. Imagine someone walking around with a giant plank in their eye and still offering to help you with a little piece of dust. Jesus was making it clear: before we point fingers at others, we need to deal with our own hearts.

Today we’re talking about “plank problems” — how to spot them, surrender them to God, and live lighter by focusing on our own growth instead of everyone else’s flaws.

My husband just told me a story of how he had something in his eye for like a year and just this past weekend it finally felt like it was gone, and it made me think of this topic I have been working on.

I think it is so funny how even something like an eyelash can line up with a parable that Jesus spoke about.

What this does is teach us that God will use anything He can to teach us. Now, this eyelash for my husband may not have been more than just an eyelash, but only God knows the lesson that was needed.

We do often experience things we may not fully understand, but God has a plan for all things. Just pray and ask Him to continually use you, and be willing when that time comes.

We carry things with us that we will never know about, but others may see it. Sometimes it will be pointed out, and sometimes it won’t.

When something is pointed out, no matter who it is by, we should take it with grace, pray about it, and get direction from God in it and through it.

It is not easy to hear our faults or see them, but we have to be willing — willing to make corrections when needed and willing to obey the Lord through it all, no matter how difficult it will be.

When I was younger, I used to hate to apologize. Like, I would get into trouble but then get into more trouble because I didn’t obey my parents, and I just refused to apologize.

When God points something out in us, it is important for us to obey what He says so that the refining of our hearts and minds can happen. Then we can grow closer to God and also continue in our growth to be more like Christ.

As we talk about the plank in our eye before calling out someone’s speck, we really do have to comb over our lives. Know that you are right with the Lord and doing the work needed for you and your relationship with the Lord.

Planking… not planking like in the exercise or the trend that happened a few years back, but about how we have planks in our own lives that need to be removed before we can deal with the problems of others.

Matthew 7:3–5 says, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

That’s a picture that’ll stick with you!

Picture this: your friend’s got a little eyelash stuck in their eye, and you’re all, “Here, let me help!” Meanwhile, you’ve got a giant two-by-four hanging out of yours. Jesus’ point? Let Him deal with the big stuff in us before we go nitpicking at someone else’s tiny flaws. It’s humbling… and a little hilarious when you picture it.

Let’s laugh at how easy it is to notice the little things in others and forget the bigger stuff in ourselves — and how freeing it is when we let God flip that perspective around.

One time I literally had what felt like a plank in my eye. I was outside by a tree in our yard and suddenly the wind swept up, and a tiny piece of bark got into my eye. It bothered me so much, and I couldn’t get it out. I actually prayed about this plank in my eye, and God revealed something to me. You see, I wanted to point something out to someone, and I was thinking about that a lot. I was running the conversation through my mind, and I felt like I was in the right. Y’all, this piece of bark that was literally in my eye was being used by God to point out my own fault.

Whatever it was I wanted to talk to the person about was actually something I needed to deal with within myself first. No joke, as soon as I realized it was my issue, the “plank” or piece of bark in my eye was gone just as quickly as it came. God placed a literal plank in my eye to point out my wrong. I was amazed, and I never ended up talking to that person. It was my issue after all.

God will use anything to get your attention and humble you.

For me, the planks in my own eyes have really been pointed out once I became married and also a parent.

Nothing shows you yourself like your little ones mirroring everything, and then as they grow up you notice the things you inadvertently taught them.

Through this process, God opened my eyes to so many things I needed to change, and also changes I needed to be firm in for my children so I didn’t pass down certain things.

As we grow up, we know there are things our parents did that we decided not to do, and the same will be with our kids. That is because we learn as we go, but when God is the one pointing things out, we can make corrections pretty quickly. In that, He helps us to reteach the things that need to be retaught to our children in the correct way.

Always make sure you are willing to hear from the Lord for the changes and molding of your life that need to be done.

Matthew 7:3–5 says, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

The truth is, we all carry “planks” sometimes. The question is, are we willing to let God deal with them first before we go pointing out someone else’s speck?

Sometimes we get so busy spotting specks in other people’s lives that we don’t notice the giant plank we’re dragging around ourselves. And honestly? Life gets a whole lot lighter when we stop being the “flaw police” and start letting God shape us.

Learning to trade judgment for humility and choosing to see people the way Jesus does.

We can be very judgmental people, and we can talk and talk and talk, but the whole time we are talking and judging, we may be sitting there being very hypocritical.

Have you ever been in conversation and before you knew it you were involved in a part of the conversation that you didn’t want to be a part of? I have… I’ve just been enjoying my time and before I knew it there was gossip happening, and I had no intention of being a part of anything like that.

Discernment is crucial in our walk on this earth. When we say that we are Christ-followers, we really need to be aware of the things we say and do. We can be talking about someone else’s speck while we may be sitting there with a whole wooden deck sticking out of our own eyes.

Be discerning in all things and let God lead you.

We all have issues that we need to work on, and that is no secret. We are not perfect people. That is why this story that Jesus shares is so important for us.

It’s a reminder that we all need to have grace and show grace to those struggling. When something does come up and needs to be mentioned, do it with grace. And if it’s something for you, take it with grace.

God will use any means necessary to get our attention. He wants us to grow and thrive and give Him glory all along the way. Be gracious, have discernment, and always seek knowledge and understanding from the Lord before anything is said or done.

Let’s circle back to Matthew 7:3–5. Jesus says, “First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” That’s the heart of it.

It’s not about pretending people don’t have specks — but about letting God refine us first. When we do, we’ll approach others with more grace, more kindness, and a whole lot less judgment.

So, the next time you’re tempted to point out a speck, maybe smile, check for your own “plank,” and ask God to help you see through His eyes. Life feels lighter — and relationships healthier — when we do.