“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Luke 6:42

The abortion issue is front and center in the media right now with the Supreme Court revisiting Roe v. Wade. With that comes the question of how people can deny that abortion is the taking of a life. Those in the abortion industry who have “seen the light,” talk about the inability to recognize that as a “veil.” When it was lifted, they were finally able to see the truth, repent, and advocate for life.

It’s easy to identify when and where that veil exists whenever we look at “them.” But it makes me wonder where the veils are in my own life.

On a much smaller scale, I can see, plain as day, where members of my little family are in denial of their faults. I can easily list all the ways my kids and husband need to change in order to be the people God intended them to be.

On a global scale, there are some insane things happening in the world right now. Yet, some of the people orchestrating the insanity feel they are justified. Their perspective is so warped, they’ve altered the truth so much they even believe it themselves.

If I can clearly identify the veils of the world, as well as in my own home, the odds are pretty good that I too have veils others can see. When people try to point them out, however, my defenses kick in – making me blind and deaf all over again.

Yet, I can’t stop there and expect the world, and my family, to accept my deep-rooted flaws. Of course, my family should love and embrace me as a person created by God. But they shouldn’t accept my vices and habits that undo His good work within me.

Identifying veils and lifting them is hard work. That shouldn’t deter us. We need to be in search of truth, light and love – determined to find and remove whatever is within us that blocks them out.

Questions for Reflection:

• What habits or vices within me do I hide with a veil so I can justify them rather than uproot them?
• How can I go about lifting that veil for God’s truth and light to get in?