It's easy to focus on fixing others when I need to fix me

Isn't God merciful and good?! Aren't you glad for His patience with us? I am!!

I have this propensity toward noticing the faults of others. I sometimes find myself focusing on other's problem areas, especially if the person is close to me and their problem affects me. This morning I was doing that with my spouse. Not that I directly spoke with him, but in my mind I was contemplating this problem area of his and feeling poorly toward him because of it. In fact, most likely I wasn't even being all together too wonderful toward the poor guy because I had my mind on this problem area.

I went into church for Sunday worship and asked God to change my heart and help me focus on Him instead. A few times my mind came back to the subject and I'd pray for help for my husband. But then the Holy Spirit began working in my heart and I realized how ridiculous my focus was. I became convicted of how there are things in my life that I need to focus on cooperating with God to change in me. I began to remember how I'd learned the need to be responsible for myself, verses everyone else. I remembered how in times past it's been a pattern of mine to focus on fixing others when I need to be allowing God to work on me.


Just about a week ago I'd written here that God's shown me an area of my life that He wants to do a new work in. An area where I've had a stronghold for years. Somehow this week I never managed to get around to spending time meditating on some verses the Holy Spirit had led me to in the Word to deal with my problem area. It's as if I've not only been avoiding talking with God or being in His Word regarding this problem area of mine, but I haven't been able to get myself to look at the situation. Interesting that now here I am on a Sunday choosing to focus on some problem area of my poor husband and to obsess on that.

The Holy Spirit brought the verses in Galatians 6:1-5 to my mind; here they are in The Message paraphrase:

1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Don't these verses speak directly to me?! Sink myself into what He's given me to do instead of focusing on others and take responsibility for my own life.

Are you like me and find that it's easy for you to focus on the faults of others, when you need to cooperate with God's work on you?