Name calling

In Matthew 7, God gives a hint at a truth about human behavior that psychologists have only recently identified.  It doesn't have a name,  but they agree that in situations where motivations are not clear cut,  we tend to assign our own motivations to others. In practice,  this usually means our own worst motivations (the plank in your own eye).

We've all seen this.  The guy who cheats on his wife and always suspects or accuses her of being unfaithful.  The dishonest person who is so fast to call others, "liar." The teenager who thinks you stole her hairspray which you find in her room under a pile of your stuff that she "borrowed".

Being aware of this tendency is an eye opening experience that will make you look at people's words differently,  including your own.  The truth is that almost every word you hear tells you more about the speaker than the object of their speech. 

Sometimes,  of course,  motivations are perfectly clear.  Not everyone who says,  "he is lying," is particularly dishonest.  Maybe they just saw the security tape or have some other information.  At some point,  the innocent spouse usually realizes they are being cheated on.  It's important to recognize the situations where you aren't guessing at the motivation.

With the rest, I find some playground wisdom apropos.  "I'm rubber,  you're glue,  whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."