A Higher Standard?

     "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."   Matthew 7:2-5


       Do you ever find that you are much harder on yourself than you are on others?  I would have to say that I am often very hard on myself.   It's like I hold myself to a higher standard than that which I hold others too.   You know what I mean, don't you?  I will give you a hypothetical example... 
       It's like when your friend is trying to do something for you and they screw it up really really badly and you tell them "that's ok, at least you tried..."  or you say "it's not really that bad..." but if it was you who had screwed it up you can be sure that you wouldn't tell yourself "that's ok, it's not so bad..." you would be saying "what's wrong with me?" or "How could I screw it up that bad?" 
       I know that whatever I am doing; I want to do it perfectly (or "near" perfectly).   Nothing less will do... or it feels like failure.   But you know what happens don't you?  Most of the time I end up doing it far from perfect.... and believe me, I'm not happy with the job that I did.   But if you were doing it for me, I wouldn't expect you to do it perfect.  I would just be happy for the help and not worry that it might be anything less than I would have done.   
       This just doesn't seem right.   It feels like a double standard.  It looks like I am holding myself to a higher standard than I am holding you too (which I hope I am not), and it could be argued that I felt you were incapable of doing it as good as I can (which I hope I don't).... but in reality I can't do it any better than you can...  But then would it be better to hold you to the higher standard that even I can't maintain; or do I hold myself to the lower standard that I was holding you to.   But then would I feel as if I wasn't doing enough?    
       Or do we compromise... lower my standard for me a bit, and raise my standard for you a bit so that both are about the same...  
        So this little hypothetical situation should clearly show us why it is best for us to just not judge the job that others do.  But it should also show us that we should not be so hard on ourselves either.   Let's leave the judging to God.  He knows we're not perfect.  He loves us anyway.... it's got to make you wonder....
        Dear Lord, please help my friends and I not to judge each other.  To accept all that we are, and all that we are capable of.  Help us to remember that even if we can't do it perfect, at least we tried.... and help us to always do the very best we can and to not be discouraged if we can't do as well as we would have liked.    And help us to accept help from our friends with grace and humility and without judgement.   And help us to hold each other accountable to the same set of standards.  Each according to his ability.   None is greater than the other.   Each has a purpose....