Dietrich Bonhoeffer eloquently wrote, “Nothing that we despise in other men is inherently absent from ourselves. We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or don’t do, and more in light of what they suffer.”

My friend Jane simply states, “You spot it, you got it!” If we notice a fault or sin in someone else, quite possibly we experience a similar struggle. When we examine ourselves, we discover that we all have within us something we criticize in others. When we are irritated by another’s behavior, we may have a similar habit, even if we have diligently attempted to eradicate that behavior in our lives. By contrast, we may fear becoming like the person we criticize.

Again, Bonhoeffer observed, “Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others, we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as ourselves.”

So whenever we spot it, whatever “it” may be, instead of being quick to judge or criticize another, let us take the opportunity to examine ourselves and extend grace.