Our first inspection

One of the greatest Olympic winners of all time was Paavo Nurmi, who won twelve medals (nine of them gold) in long-distance running in the 1920's. When he ran, something caught people's attention: he always carried a stop watch. Before anyone said anything, he already knew if he was running well or not.

The Christian life ought to be like that too. No, we don't need a stop watch but we ought to see how we're measuring up to life's challenges. The only way ahead is to think about what we're doing, why we're doing it and what's at the end of it. Because when we're in God's presence and we recognise the mistakes we've made, at least we can then hope to get things right and move on.

Do you know what is one of the greatest risks that we face? Focusing on the faults of others. It's always so easy to see what others do wrong or badly; it's quite another story when it comes to seeing what WE do wrong or badly.

God says, don't judge others. We should only judge ourselves. So all the energy we waste looking outwards should be used more productively looking inwards to check what our failings are and seek to rectify them. If we don't, we'll suffer the consequences of our own sin, which can be fatal. The Bible says that if we judge others rather than ourselves, we are preparing our own trial. And we all know what the verdict would be: guilty.

Oh, how different our lives would be if we'd only learn this lesson! God tells us to check our actions against what he says to us and expects of us. In our spiritual lives, in our relationships, in our work, or in our obedience to God himself and our service in the Church... we must examine ourselves in the light of the Word of God. Only then can we change things, learn, see where we're going wrong or right... reach the goal!