Maybe, It's You?

 

Sometimes, we are the distraction.  New Year’s Eve, I worked in the office seeing sick patients.  The clinic was packed. I was swiftly moving from room to room.  I noticed the hallway floor looked dirty.  As the morning progressed, the floor appeared dingy.  I thought to myself, the cleaning crew needs to be reprimanded.  I then thought, parents must be allowing their children to run amok.  I wondered who would be able to clean this mess over the holidays.  I mentioned the disgusting floor to the nurse assisting me for the day.  She said, “Dr. Howelton it’s you.  Your new boots are scuffing the floor. The marks leave a trail into each exam room.”  In my limited mind, I had ascribed the problem to everyone else, never once considering myself.

Galatians 6:3-5 tells us, ³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load. Before considering your neighbor, make a personal assessment, examine yourself, and evaluate your own work.  We can become our own distraction, totally unaware of the sin in our life and utterly deceived.   I took a picture of my mess as a reminder that on December 31, 2013, I missed the mark and was unable or unwilling to comprehend that Dr. Howelton was the problem.