Removing the Rocks

## Removing the Rocks _“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?” – Luke 6:41-42_ Have you ever tried to go for a walk when there is a rock in your shoe? If it is a pebble it can be very annoying and if it is a larger rock, it can be painful too. One day, a Christian woman was having great difficult moving ahead in her walk with God. When she asked Him what was the problem, He said, _“There are some rocks in your shoe.” _Since this was not literally the case, she sat down and began to think about what that might mean. Slowly, the Lord reminded her of a variety of conflicts she had encountered and her unkind reactions which had quietly begun to harden her heart. It was as if a handful of rocks were in her shoe, and she was finding little strength to glorify her Master with patient and merciful responses. It happens to all of us. The roads we walk along are dirty and filled with tensions, broken promises, and disappointments. As believers we know we should forgive, but there are three common enemies that often show up in times of distress. These three are pride, anger and self-righteousness. Scripture: _Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” -Matthew 16:24-25_ _“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” -Philippians 2:3-4_