From Charlie Gray
Busy last week replenishing my birdhouse inventory after a good showing at The Fuquay Varina Garden Club Home Tour. Sold some birdhouses benefiting The Joseph Gray Scholarship Foundation, reconnected with some old friends and met some new ones. The lumber I use in my nest boxes is custom milled at a family run saw mill in Sanford. The lumber is exclusively red cedar. It’s a beautiful species, full of character emitting an alluring odor. It’s very easy to work with and weathers like no other material.

I enjoy working with red cedar but occasionally there will be a flaw or "bad side" to a board. When this happens I have a couple of options. I can just flip the board and turn the bad side inward out of sight. I can cut out the bad spot and salvage the remainder of the board or I can discard the entire board. Got to admit, I am very picky about the quality of the material that goes into my finished product.

As I came across a rough spot on a board last week and had to decide my options, I couldn’t help but to compare the board to the relationships we have with others. Many times we may see a bad side in a person. How do we respond? Do we attempt to see beyond the flaw? Do we show a little grace or do we allow our heart to harden with judgement?

Luke 6:37 is very clear in its warning "Do not judge and you will not be judged". In addition we have the directive in Matthew 5:39 we all are familiar with about turning the other cheek. Never forget that we all have flaws. The grace we are called to show others today, may be the grace we need ourselves tomorrow. Do we notice the pimple on others ignoring that we are covered with sores? If we are too picky about the ones we care about, then we will surely wind up alone.