Your Unknown Medical Emergency

Let's talk about the elephant in the room...or should I say the plank in your eye.

No judgement, we all have them, maybe a church roof amount, or a light post kind of amount.

But first, let's talk about a plank.

What is a plank? In biblical times, a plank was a massive piece of wood used to uphold structures, unite structures together, taking multiple men to handle, as seen in the picture.

So, how does the plank apply to you? To me?

There is an account in the Bible when Jesus talks about a plank in your eye.

For those of us who have heard this parable, we gloss over it.

For those unfamiliar, Jesus says not to focus on the speck in your brother's eye but the plank in your own.

Pretty familiar...yeah yeah, we all have something...blah, blah, blah.

I think it's pretty fascinating Jesus used an analogy that would progress over time.

In biblical primitive times, the people understood the weight of a plank.

Most of the population had dealt with one, used it to build there homes and structures BY HAND.

The people of the time knew the dangers of a plank unmanned; the plank's weight could crush men, take days to carve/trim down to usable material, take their lives if not paid attention to and dealt with when in close proximity during active construction.

The people then understood the damage a single plank could do.

Today, most of us may not know how heavy a plank really is, the real dangers.

Today, planks are moved by machines, trimmed down, and placed by tractors, etc.

But what is pretty fascinating is that today we have a closer understanding of the medical implications of a plank injury.

If you have a splinter, an eyelash, a speck of dirt in your eye, what happens?

Your whole world probably comes to a halt until the irritant is out, right?

You flush it out, look in the mirror, SEVERELY FOCUS on finding the smallest speck disrupting your entire life until it's out.

The speck in the eye is pretty unavoidable.

The speck in is a place within the body that cannot be ignored.

The speck that no one can see completely upends us until it's out.

Nothing else matters in those moments.

When there is speck in your eye, you aren't looking anywhere but a mirror, on yourself, to find the speck.

And this is just a speck we're talking about, a simple eyelash, piece of sand, a shaving.

But if the foreign grain isn't dealt with, it can cause major implications for our sight.

We can lose our sight if the speck isn't take out; turns into infection, gets embedded, has to be dug out surgically, now there's healing involved and you have to wear a patch.

When you think about the damage a shaving, an eyelash, a grain of sand can have simply because of where in the body it's lodged, it really is mind blowing.

All of this because of a speck.

Going back to the account of Jesus, isn't it interesting He doesn't say take the speck out of your eye before you look at the speck in another's eye.

He said A PLANK.

A PLANK IN YOUR EYE.

I'm pretty sure that constitutes a medical emergency.

A medical emergency that must be dealt with immediately or you die.

Imagine it.

A PLANK IN YOUR EYE.

Unfathomable.

Can you picture an actual plank in your eye?

You are rushed into the operating room, a team of trained professionals work twenty fours straight, trying to keep you alive while taking out this massive, objectively unavoidable object.

You take weeks to heal, get past infection after infection, put on life support until the pain is bearable. Then there's the rehabilitation for your body because of the time laid in bed while you heal.

I bet you would remember that life event.

I bet that process would change you.

Maybe after such a life altering event, you're kinder, softer, more patient.

Almost dying has that effect.

If you haven't almost died, I challenge you to seek someone who has out.

I bet their view of life is much different, their pace much slower, their walk more intentional.

If you have plank in your eye, are you focused on someone's speck?

I'm pretty sure the concern is if you're going to die or not. The last thing you're thinking about is someone else.

And I think that's His point.

All of it.

A plank in your eye is a metaphor understood at different levels throughout the centuries.

A plank in your eye is a life or death situation.

Meant to be addressed. IMMEDIATELY.

Meant to be a prolonged process.

Because that's how we, as humanity, change our view, our perspective.

Are you changed by an eyelash in your eye?

Or are you forever grateful you lived through the traumatic experience of a beam of wood through your eye?

A plank in your eye is a process to remove.

Refining is a process.

There's pain, lots of pain.

There's self-focus.

There's a team, a community of others assigned to take the plank out.

You don't pull the plank out alone.

You recognize that there's an object in you eye.

There's a team to help get it out.

To help you heal.

To help you realize how lucky you are to be alive.

And I think that's His point.

All of this process.

Jesus didn't say if you have a plank in your eye...He said LOOK AT THE PLANK IN YOUR OWN EYE.

My friend, YOU HAVE A PLANK.

I have a plank.

When you admit there's a plank in your eye, you search out help to get it removed.

When you don't, what do you think happens?

Imagine it; you're walking around with a plank. IN YOUR EYE. You move slower, people stop and look at you and STUMBLE over something because they were looking at the most obvious thing in the world that you are acting like, or simply are, completely unaware of.

The unaddressed plank in your eye affects others.

Ever thought of that?

Jesus chose His words carefully. Intentionally.

He nails his metaphor.

He brings the focus back to you. Back to me.

We really like to inspect other's eyeballs more than we should.

We focus our time and energy on someone else's eyelash.

We don't realize our vision is skewed. BECAUSE OF THE PLANK.

We do not have 20/20 vision of someone else's spirit, someone else's motivation, someone else's heart.

But we do have 20/20 vision for our spirit, our motivation, our heart.

I'm pretty sure if you asked those closest to you what your plank is called they would tell you.

I'm pretty sure if you asked someone close to you if you even have a plank, they would tell you. AND TELL YOU WHAT KIND IT IS.

If you can't see for yourself, Jesus knows.

Thank God He's a carpenter.

Jesus doesn't turn you away because of your plank.

You invite Him in on the surgical team because He's the best.

He WANTS to help.

Do you want the doctor that lives to help people be their best? Or the doctor that doesn't have time for you? Or makes your feel like an inconvenience? Or tells you you need to do A B and C before he can help you?

You want that plank out NOW.

He knows it will hurt. So do you.

You know it's a process.

He assigns a team to surround you, to support you, help you get better.

Some members of the team suck; humans aren't perfect.

But does that mean you stop trying to heal?

Do you let a bad nurse in the hospital or a judgey case worker stop you from your healing journey?

I wouldn't.

Jesus gives us the Church. He gives us others.

Will they all respond perfectly? No.

They're not Jesus.

Jesus is in it. All the way.

And He WANTS to be.

Because He knows if you don't take care of the plank in your eye, the only other option is death.

Not acknowledging your plank, your sin, leads to death.

His metaphor is perfect.

In the physical world, an untreated plank in the eye will kill you.

In the spiritual world, an untreated plank will kill you.

Jesus calls us to focus on our plank.

When we focus on our plank, what's wrong with us, are you really thinking about fixing someone else?

Pretty sure you're not.

Pretty sure you're working everyday on your own plank.

The good news is EVERYONE HAS A PLANK.

Thank God Jesus is a carpenter.

Jesus is working on all the planks.

If you let Him.

If you acknowledge there's a plank in your eye that you simply cannot handle alone.

That you need HELP to get it out.

Thank God Jesus is a carpenter.

So what's your plank?

What is sticking out of your spirit, your eye, that everyone else can see that you won't acknowledge?

What is making others stumble because you don't think you need help?

What is so obvious to others that is oblivious to you?

Focus on your own plank.

And when you're healing, going through the process of plank removal, remember what it's like not to know.

Not to know you're causing others to stare at you and stumble, not know how much that plank is damaging you from the inside out.

Then offer mercy instead of judgement.

Offer grace instead of condemnation.

Offer support instead of gossip.

Offer yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

Focus on your own plank.

Your own medical emergency.

Jesus was really great at taking the focus off others being judged, turning condemning eyes onto Himself.

Jesus focused on your plank.

Focused on forgiveness.

Focused on love.

Focused on mercy.

Focused on helping.

Maybe it's time to address the elephant in the room now

...or maybe address the plank in your own eye.