Every so often I make myself read the whole chapter of Matthew 23, where Jesus takes on the religious leaders for so complicating people’s pursuit of God that He is royally pissed off! Seems out of character for Jesus to speak so abrasively, BUT our ability to actually find You God in their obstructive construction of hoops to jump through is at stake! So His anger is justified! But WHY I read it is not to ‘rah rah’ Jesus’ biting words against THEM, but to allow those very words to do a deep clean in my OWN life. Inventory time. Heart audit. How easy it is for me to slip into some of the very same legalistic and judgmental traps that the Pharisees fell prey to. Subtle rule setting and enforcement that only serve to alienate others from truly finding You God. May it never be! My “camels” may be lack of forgiveness, self-righteous justification of my attitudes and actions, blindness to others’ struggles, or rigidity that refuses to at least listen to others’ points of view. Gnats are annoying but not nearly as smelly as manure-infested camel fur! Gotta sniff out those stinky camels and give them a much needed bath! Fitting that today is “Hump Day!”