How Is Your Heart?
“Search
me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if
there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm
139:23-24)
It’s easy to be
fooled into thinking that your heart is in pretty good condition. And so
perhaps you’ve had thoughts like this:
1) I’m a good person.
2) I attend church twice a
week.
3) I go to a weekly Bible
study.
4) I keep up with my daily
devotionals.
5) I volunteer in my
community.
6) I tithe to my church.
7) I’m kind to my family.
8) I pray for my friends.
Sound familiar?
We can focus on the peripheral so much so that we forget to dig a little deeper
and see what’s really going on
inside our hearts. Well, I’ve discovered a sure-fire method that will quickly
expose the condition of the heart. Here it is: it’s driving!
When you’re
driving, it seems like the real you comes to the forefront. I know that I would
never want someone to record the thoughts that go through my mind or the words
that exit my mouth when I’m operating a moving vehicle. They’re not R-rated,
but I sure wouldn’t want them inscribed on my tombstone.
These thoughts
happen fairly regularly. Like recently, as I made my way through town. I noticed
how many people did not use their turn signals.
Other folks cut me off while trying to get in front of other slow
drivers in other lanes. And another driver made a left-hand turn from a right
lane.
In these
incidents, what really shocked me were my reactions to all this. Afterward, I immediately wondered, “did I really think that? My heart is so ugly.
Oh, dear God. Please help me!”
I’m not going
to tell you what I was thinking, because I am ashamed. But I will tell you
this: it exposed the dark corners of my heart. I saw how horribly corroded and
nasty it was, like what you experience when you pull up the stopper from your
kitchen garbage disposal. Foul!
I saw the
judgment. I saw the pride. I saw the lack of love and forgiveness. It’s gunk
that needs to be cleaned out with bleach on a consistent basis. But bleach
smells, it’s strong and it stings. Who really wants that? Yet, even though
ridding sin from our lives is hard to do, it’s absolutely essential if we are
to stay spiritually healthy.
While I’m
disappointed in my condition, I’m strangely thankful that driving is doing such
a good job of testing me and showing what’s going on in my heart. And until I’m
old and decrepit, and can’t maneuver a vehicle anymore, I know that my next heart
check is just one keyed ignition, one gear change and one gas pedal away.
If not driving,
are there other situations or activities in your life that “put the
squeeze” on you and really show what’s going on in your heart? Maybe it’s
an individual who just knows how to push your buttons. Or perhaps the ugliness
comes out when you’re dealing with customer service personnel.
Whatever it is
that exposes the ugliness, ask the Lord to examine your heart, and to change
you from the inside out.
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him, and experience an
amazing
change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace with God.
