We are all like one who is unclean,
all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight.
We all wither like a leaf;
our sins carry us away like the wind. (Isaiah 64:6)
From across the battlefield I saw the mark on my enemy’s face—evil black smudges. Zeal consumed my war against all who wore the stain, and I fired my weapon at everything that moved.
Then I paused from the fight to refresh with living water. But one cannot approach that sacred pool without looking at a reflection of self. A smudge marred my forehead, and no amount of rubbing made it go away.
I was the enemy. How could this be? Angry thoughts only deepened the smudge.
My comrades also bore marks. One of them jabbed his rifle toward the battlefield. “Sure, we have a little black, but not like those infidels.”
But now, I knew. The stain I’d seen on myself was shaped differently, but it made me the same as my supposed enemies.
Only when I release my grip on the condemnation of others, are my hands free to receive the grace of Jesus.
With my remaining ammunition, I must turn against the enemy within. It is he who urges me toward prideful judgment. It is he who would send me to hell in exchange for a little self-confident gloating. I must target the correct enemy and not my fellow sojourners.
Prayer: Patient Savior, may I fight sin in myself and let you judge others.