"Arise, sanctify the people, and say to them: Be ye sanctified against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel: The anathema is in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thy enemies, till he be destroyed out of thee that is defiled with this wickedness." Joshua 7:13
This brings to mind Matthew 7:5, "Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
Last weekend I went on a two day retreat to reprioritize my goals and to discover some dreams. The last time I went on this retreat, I made some fascinating discoveries about who I am and what I want to do, and this time was a wonderful opportunity to hone those discoveries and refine my visions. One thing that came up over and over for me over the course of this retreat was that I wanted to encourage others to speak the Truth of the Faith in Love. Of course, such encouragement and teaching is much more appropriate (and humble!) coming from someone who has, herself, mastered that art, or at least attempts it consistently! Today I am remembering that we are each on our journeys, and to meet my challengers where they are at, instead of feeling superior to one who has not been given my knowledge, resenting one who knows more (or better, or more charitably) than I.
