“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one
who has insight draws them out.” Proverbs 20:5 (NIV)
Most of us judge human purposes, or motives on a rather
superficial basis—they do what they do because of race, culture, age, gender,
appearance. Human motives, however, as this verse points out, run much deeper
than that. The person of “insight” knows that these motives come from the
deepest level of the soul—the place where we reflect the image of God. At that
level, we are all the same. Therefore, those of insight realize that what
motivates each of us is not much different from what motivates even the “vilest
of offenders.” People of insight then, “draw out” and examine their own motives
and purposes before they judge another’s.
Carl Jung, the great Swiss founder of depth psychology,
called this phenomenon “projection.” Jesus, long before Jung, called this human
tendency to judge on appearance a plank and a speck. “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 7:3-5)
To be insightful means to “draw out” from your deep waters;
your soul. What do you use to do this? How do you discern whether you are
projecting or not?
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