Matthew 7:1-5
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
Last year around this time, I developed a painful blister type thing on my left foot.
I didn’t think much about it until it started to persist and would not go away.
I thought, well it’s probably my new shoes, and I put them aside.
As the pain stayed around, I started to get opinions from people around me.
"It’s a blister from wearing the shoes and is probably a bunion."
So I started googling the issue and narrowed it down to a Taylor Bunion, or bunionette.
I purchased a bunion corrector, which was great, because it slipped on my foot and had a padding around the painful area so that walking with shoes did not hurt.
I purchased some new shoes that were extra wide as not to aggravate my bunion.
Someone in my circle suggested that I should see a Doctor about getting it corrected, because it would only get worse.
Google agreed.
I was walking with a bit of a limp, but it wasn’t that bothersome yet.
At my physical In November, I showed my Doctor the area.
I told him that I had researched it for a couple of months and it looks like a Taylors bunion, and could he recommend anything.
He looked down at it and said it looks like a bunnionette, and that he would give me a referral to a Orthopedic Doctor to see.
It was not hurting that much and Christmas was upon us, and I put it off.
Versus going to see the Expert Specialty Doctor immediately, I consulted Dr. Google again.
Dr. Google showed me all of the pain that I was going to have to go through with Bunion removal surgery.
Then the 1st of the year was upon us, and I put it off.
It felt OK with the Bunion band aid padding on it.
Eventually one week in April, it started to get painful again.
I noticed that a blister had formed on the side and then eventually bled.
I was tired of the pain and was tired of walking with a limp, and I dusted off the referral and went to the specialty Doctor.
I told the Doctor that Dr. Matthews said it looks like a bunnionette, and what were my options.
He said, "Let's do an x-ray and have a look."
Dr. Jones came into the room with the x-ray results and said “You have a piece of metal in your foot”.
I thought he was joking.
He said "No, look right here. You have a piece of metal in your foot”.
I said: ...........Well let’s get it out of there.
Within 1 week I could walk normally again.
John 7:24
"Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."
I waited to get professional advice.
I perceived the situation was different than it was.
The situation was not urgent enough for me to stop and properly assess it.
It felt better when I put a band aid on it and just went about my business.
I fooled myself with a self-diagnosis with my limited knowledge.
I had people around me that with their limited knowledge of my situation.....validated what I thought it was.
I convinced my primary Doctor of my mis-assessed diagnosis.
I procrastinated going to see the expert Doctor.
I thought that the self-diagnosis that I had given myself was going to result in foot surgery.
Proverbs 12:15
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
What I had was not noticeable from outside analysis.
It took an expert to look inside to give a proper diagnosis.
What was not a problem in the beginning, became increasingly worse with time and procrastination.
My mis-assessment caused months of pain and limping when I could have had immediate relief by seeing the expert early.
As I look back on my life in business and in personal situations I can count several times that I thought that a situation was a certain way because of what it looked like on the outside.
....only to discover later that I had mis-diagnosed the situation.
The situations were not urgent in the beginning but became urgent.
I leaned on my own understanding until there was no other option but to have God intervene.
Luke 5:31
"And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.'
I thank God for his direction in my life.
Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”