Yesterday I had a friend and her two little boys come over for lunch after school. I was excited to have them and so I woke up thinking about what I was going to make for lunch and about a fun dessert we could all share. However, after I looked around my house I realized there was some serious organizing to be done. Just fixing lunch was not going to suffice. I don’t know about you, but when I someone is coming over I get critical of my house. Instead of just being comfortable in it I start to notice all the things that need to be fixed. Little things. Areas that are infrequently dusted and small toys that need to find a home. Those little things often go unnoticed because I’m usually just keeping up with what needs to be done to keep myself comfortable. I don’t notice an errant small toy on a day to day basis but when company comes over those little things tend to grab my attention. All of a sudden the house that I think is relatively clean looks like it needs a lot of work. That is exactly what happened to me on Monday morning.
So as I was cleaning this little stuff up I started thinking about my heart. Just like the little things I’m suddenly critical of, what little stuff have I let take residence in my life. It’s easy for me to get into a routine and think everything is ok without being critical of the small stuff in my heart. Our hearts are “desperately wicked” but I don’t think about this often. I just go with the flow trying to keep up with my life. After all I’ve got the big stuff taken care of.
It made me realize that just as I take a critical eye to my house when I’m trying to see it as someone else will. I need to take that same critical eye and examine my heart. I started praying and asking these questions:
What does God see in my heart that needs to change?
If someone could see my heart, what would I want to hide?
It is so easy to become comfortable with how things are that asking these questions of ourselves is not even on the to do list. I have noticed when I start to ask the Lord to search my heart I don’t like what I find. Imagine that! Small stuff has become larger and there is serious work to be done. The temptations and sins in my life that I notice readily I take care of, but there are some sins that creep in.
You know, putting this critical work off is easy on a day to day basis, but it shouldn’t be done. Examing our hearts and asking the Lord to reveal what needs to be changed can be difficult, but it’s necessary.
Just like I found out I had a lot of work to do on Monday, I got busy, got the work done and was so happy when I was finished. It’s the same with our hearts. When we ask the Lord to help us we can work through the hard stuff and enjoy the blessings of a greater relationship with Him.
The work is worth it.
Search me O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 139:23-24
So very true!