2 Kings 12: When Criticism is Actually Projection

I was reading about King Jehoash and got stuck on one little line:

I was so frustrated. It felt like finally a good guy, Why didn’t he take care of it all?  If you’re doing what’s right in the Lord’s eyes, then clear out every single high place. Finish the job; darn It!

Im really wondering how often do I get frustrated at someone else for what they’ve left undone, when really I’m just feeling the conviction of my own compromise? Maybe what bothers me in Jehoash is the same thing that bothers me in myself. I’m making progress in areas of my life, but I’m not perfect. There are still “high places” standing. It Is certainly easier to point out someone else’s incompleteness than to sit with my own.

I do this more than I care to admit. Any time I give advice for feel the need to critique someone else’s choices, Im learning to look Inward first so Im not projecting. Is the err In what I see in them something Im actually struggling to resolve in myself?

The danger In this critical response for me is that I can miss celebrating progress because I can get so focused on what’s still unfinished.

Here's a takeaway, before criticizing, pause and ask, Is this about them… or is this about me?  Often, the high places I notice in others are the ones I’m still wrestling with myself.