What spills out when life bumps us?

This past Sunday was not the morning I expected.

I was supposed to be on the road to Portland for a family reunion. Instead, I stood before our church family with a heavy heart because Pastor Ed Burns—who was scheduled to preach—had suffered a stroke. Many of you know Ed not only as a long-time part of our preaching team, but as the longest-serving lead pastor in the history of our church. For years, he has faithfully opened the Word, encouraged the church, and spoken with wisdom, warmth, and plenty of words.

So to see him unable to speak was deeply disorienting.

It was one of those moments where the word “bittersweet” feels painfully accurate. We gathered to worship a God who is good. We sang about joy in the house of the Lord. We proclaimed the power of Christ. And yet, we carried grief, concern, and uncertainty with us.

But even in that tension, we turned to the Word. Because that is what Ed would want us to do.

We continued in the Sermon on the Mount, looking at Matthew 7:1–12. It is a passage many of us know well, especially Jesus’ words: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.”

That phrase has taken on a life of its own in our culture. It is often used as a shield against any kind of correction or discernment. But Jesus is not telling us to turn off our brains, ignore sin, or pretend nothing is ever wrong. He is warning us against a judgmental spirit—a posture of harsh criticism, fault-finding, and superiority.

Jesus says:

“Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”
— Matthew 7:3

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say there is no speck. He does not say ignore what is wrong. He says deal with the log in your own eye first.

That is much harder.

It is much easier to focus on someone else’s issue than to sit honestly with what is unfinished in us. Judging others can become a form of self-protection. It allows us to feel better about ourselves because, at least for the moment, the attention is on someone else’s mess instead of our own.

But Jesus calls us to a different way.

Before we correct, we examine ourselves.
Before we speak, we humble ourselves.
Before we point out another’s sin, we bring our own lives before the Father.

And then Jesus gives what might feel like a surprising instruction:

“Don’t throw your pearls to pigs.”
— Matthew 7:6

It is strong language, but Jesus is teaching us wisdom. Not every person, situation, or relationship is ready to receive what is sacred. Our vulnerability, our trust, the deep things of our lives and faith—these are holy things. Love does not mean naivety. We are called to love deeply and discern wisely.

Then Jesus moves into one of the most comforting invitations in Scripture:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
— Matthew 7:7

This is not a random shift. Jesus has just called us to do the hard internal work of examining our own hearts. And that kind of work cannot be done in our own strength.

We need the Father.

We ask because we have needs we cannot meet on our own.
We seek because we need direction we cannot find on our own.
We knock because there are doors only God can open.

This is part of what we mean when we talk about having a prayer-first posture. Prayer is not our last resort after we have tried everything else. Prayer is our first response because God is not distant, reluctant, or stingy. He is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children.

And then Jesus brings it all together with what we know as the Golden Rule:

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
— Matthew 7:12

This is not simply a nice moral saying. It is the fruit of a life being formed by Jesus.

A person who has dealt with their own log treats people differently.
A person who brings their needs to the Father treats people differently.
A person who trusts that God is good treats people differently.

How we treat others reveals what is forming inside of us.

Pastor Ed has used an illustration for years that has stayed with me. He says we all walk around with a teacup on our head. Most of the time, we cannot see what is inside. Others may not see it either. But when life bumps us, whatever is in the cup spills out.

And what spills out reveals what has been forming there all along.

That image felt especially fitting this week.

Life bumped us. It bumped the Burns family. It bumped our church family. And life will bump all of us at some point. The question is: what spills out?

When we are tired, afraid, frustrated, or grieving, what comes out of us?
Criticism? Contempt? Anxiety? Control?
Or mercy? Prayer? Patience? Love?

The good news is that Jesus does not merely teach this way of life. He lived it.

When all the weight of humanity’s sin was thrown onto Him, what spilled out was mercy. When He saw the full truth about us—every log, every speck, every wound, every failure—He did not move toward us with contempt. He moved toward us with love.

And now He invites us to become the kind of people who do the same.

So this week, I invite you to sit with this question:

What is my treatment of others revealing about what is forming inside of me right now?

Bring that honestly to the Father. Ask. Seek. Knock.

He is good.
He is near.
And He is still forming us.