Betty:  We all have different parts of ourselves. It doesn’t mean that we’re split personality. But just normal people have parts of their personality that almost takes on a life of their own. I noticed when people reach a certain spiritual maturity, they begin to hear what’s going on. I think it’s a special grace that God gives us to really come into truth at a much deeper level of our being in which we realize we’re not as all together as we’d like to be. That while we have the part of our personality which I hope is authentic and that really deeply desires the Lord, we also have within us those parts that St. Paul talked about. He said in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.”

What’s coming up in you is that part of you that you can project into X. Now, does that mean that X has an open door? I think so. I think it’s part where you get hooked into her. And when we’re hooked, it’s easy for us to throw the plank that’s in us. We see ourself as having a splinter. But Jesus said in Luke 6:42, “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.”

So, we need to repent of the negative parts that we do not want to own and that we do not want to admit is real. Because we have this other part that really wants to be one with the Lord. But like Paul said, “I have this part me that will not do what I want it to do.” Yeah, and that’s part because we haven’t really brought it firmly enough into truth. We haven’t owned it enough. So, we cannot control it. The more that you enter into humility, which is truth, and you own the part that you see in the other person, the freer you’ll become. Instead of seeing it in the other person’s eyes as a plank, you got to lift that up to the Lord. It might just be a splinter, because the plank is in your eye. So, when you take that part and you finally become conscious of it, put it in Jesus’ hands. But we can’t be healed of that which we don’t own up to. That’s part of the problem with some Christians. They don’t want to own up to those disagreeable parts of themselves, so they can’t be healed until they own them. 

AM: Why do you have to own them first to have them be healed?

Betty: Because you have to stand in truth to receive healing. And while we’re still in denial, while we’re still throwing it over and saying, “Well, look at X. She’s got this problem, blah, blah, blah.” We’re not really owning our own. It’s up to God to work with X. We’ve got to back out. Now, it’d be different if X would come and say she thinks this is going on, and she wants to work on it. That’s a whole different ballgame. We have to let that person grow to the realization that they need to call for help. Because the Lord has tremendous respect for our free will even though he knows it could be very good for us to own up to places like this, He will not force us until we come to Him in true humility, and ask for His help. 

AM: And God keeps giving us opportunities to find these places where we’re out of truth through people and situations. That’s his mercy. 

Betty: Yeah, and He will keep allowing situations to come up again and again, until we finally face where the problem is. It’s round robin we go again, because we’re not owning up to it. But what’s so funny is when grace is strong enough and by God’s help you can cooperate and own up to the plank in your own eye and stop focusing on the splinter in your brothers, it’s amazing how people seem to improve practically overnight. And really what was improving is you’re coming into truth. You can see what’s really happening. But it does appear as though it’s the person who has changed. And they might have if they’re cooperating with grace. But then again it might not have been them that changed, but you simply were more willing to see your own fault and own it. Now, the interesting thing is that when you own your own stuff, you don’t get as caught in their stuff. They might not change. They might be continuing as they were. But for some reason, you just don’t get caught. Well, that’s because you don’t have that hook that you used to have. See, so if Jesus can help you, you’re less likely to get caught up in whatever they haven’t finished in their own work. 

Do you have a “plank” in your eye that you can own up to rather than focusing on another’s “splinter”? Once you own up to it, you can turn it over to Jesus to heall.