You Are The Person

I was recently talking with a close friend and we were reflecting on some of our most difficult workplace experiences. In that conversation, I shared a story about a coworker who was difficult to work with. This coworker had sort of made a fool of themselves in a meeting we were in because of their continued belaboring of a moot point, their inability to listen to others, and their inability to extend grace to move forward. 

Originally, I thought their behavior was laughable and I was proud of myself that I didn’t act out like they had at work. But before I could settle into the happiness that I didn’t lash out, the Lord showed me instances in which, I too, had acted just like my coworker in other spheres of life. Yikes! 

This way in which the Lord showed me myself put me in remembrance of King David and Nathan, the prophet:

2 Samuel 12:1-15 NKJV 

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this ]shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to beyour wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 15 Then Nathan departed to his house.

You are that man (verse 7)! Here David was thinking he was in moral standing and the whole time, the Lord was calling him on the carpet about the hidden sin and unresolved areas in his life that caused him to act out. 

Just like David, we are so quick to see the fault in others and miss the areas we ourselves need to work on. Or even worse, we overlook when we too are acting in the same manner we judged someone else for 

Matthew 7:3-5 AMP

3 Why do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender), first get the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Romans 2:1 NKJV

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

May we all allow the Lord to show us ourselves and mature in our walk and behavior. Repeat this prayer:

Lord, I come humbly to you. Please show me the areas in which I need to grow and turn away from pride and sin. Father, before I judge others, show me myself. Thank you, God, for your correction, mercy, and grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.