Check your windows...

I got this piece 2 years ago...

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.

I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

It was interesting that I stumbled on this piece. A few weeks ago something happened and I was saying to my husband that when the Bible advises us not to judge others, it's really for our good when we don't because we could very well have "faulty vision" like the lady in the story and beyond that, what goes around comes around...

It's so easy to "see" and comment on how people are not doing things right or not doing the right things or even not doing the right things right and amazing how easily we "excuse" ourselves if/when we do or don't do the same things.

Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you. Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother's eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye? You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye. (Matt 7:1 - 5 - AMP)

In fact it didn't occur to me until now one "reason" the following verses are together:

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6: 37 - 38 - NLT)

The bottom line is:
The quantity, and even quality, of your "gift" of judgment, condemnation and/or forgiveness detemines what you will receive  - and what you receive will be "pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap."

- Please beware.

The other thing is: if you cannot help someone become better - don't talk about them.
The flip side is:
The fact that you help others become better doesn't mean you should talk about it or them.