Inside Out
Staring at the pile of clothes that were strewn about the guest
room, I found myself asking the question, “Did I really make such a mess yesterday
morning?” That’s crazy! I had even tried to prepare the night before by laying
out two possible outfits for Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, my plan didn't come together the next morning. One outfit looked too sloppy and the other just
didn’t look quite right. So, a whirlwind of frantic outfit swapping ensued.
Gratefully, I eventually found something presentable that felt – and looked - right for the
day. Wardrobe crisis averted!
As I now hung up the discarded clothing, I pondered how easy it is to
get caught up in one’s appearance – especially on Sundays or for special events.
Typically, I’m not real fussy about what I look like. I do have favorite
clothes, and I’m always glad when I have a good hair day. But my Sunday morning
routine is pretty simple. Teeth clean, check. Slip not showing, check. Hair
brushed, check. Earrings on, check. Oh, and double check that those ‘hanger helper’
strings aren’t hanging out somewhere, check!
Taking time to dress appropriately for the day’s events as well as
freshening up what God has given us to work with is fine. However, if we’re not careful,
we can easily fall into the temptation of becoming a bit too self-conscious of
our appearance. It is at those moments that I have to remind myself that my
outward appearance doesn’t really matter. What is important is how I look on
the inside.
I’d like to think that I’m continuously working on my inner self,
seeking to rid my heart of sin and growing deeper in my walk with Christ. But,
when do I really take the time to look at my inward reflection? I’m afraid
that my soul-searching is often nothing more than a quick glance in that internal mirror. And when I do take the time to look closer, do I tend to position
myself to my best advantage and think “Now that’s pretty good.”? Or, do I go to
the other extreme and only see my ‘problem areas’ and can’t help but focus on
all the negatives. Hiding from the truth may be the easy way out, but it
doesn’t do a thing to help the condition of our inner self.
Thankfully, cleaning up the inside doesn't have to be any harder than cleaning up the
outside. Healthy questions to consider on a regular basis are pretty simple. Have I
taken the time to rid myself of sinful thoughts and attitudes today? When is the last time that I asked for forgiveness? If I was able to
look into a mirror and see my inner reflection, what would I
see? Is my heart clean before God and others?
A couple great Scriptures that can help each of us go beyond our
outer appearance and focus instead on our inner condition are found in Luke
11:39-41 and Matthew 23:27-28. In both passages, Jesus is talking with the
Pharisees and challenges them to not only clean up the outside, but to also
clean up the inside.
‘Woe to you, teachers of the
law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look
beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead
and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as
righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.’
“Then the Lord said to him,
‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you
are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made
the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you - be generous to the poor, and everything
will be clean for you.’”
These passages hit hard on getting our priorities straight. It is
good – and proper – to clean our bodies and to even enjoy a nice outer
appearance, but not at the expense of our inner beauty. How we look and what
people think of our appearance has no lasting value. How we live and exhibit
the love of God at work in our lives is the key to a truly beautiful
reflection.
If you'd like to see how clean your heart is, first off, pray and ask God to show you the areas that need work. Areas of "hypocrisy, greed and wickedness." Next, check out a great reflective resource entitled “Spring
Cleaning Our Messy Hearts” by Shana Schutte. It's available online at http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/spiritual-development/spring-cleaning-our-messy-hearts
~~~~~https://yokemates.blogspot.com
Comments
Post a Comment