Look a Little Deeper

A few years ago, a friend of mine was having a lot of trouble with an infection under her arm.  The doctor decided to make an incision that would speed up the healing time.  Well, what was supposed to be simple and routine, ended up being more serious and took forever.  After her ordeal was over, she and I had a discussion on the matter...  She said, “You would not believe what was in my arm… the doctor just kept pulling stuff out!”  She asked the doctor how all of that  "stuff" could have been in her arm!  The doctor explained that over a period of time, the infection had tunneled very deeply and that’s why it was taking so long to heal.  As we discussed it further, I started thinking of all the similarities between her arm and my Spiritual heart.

I often tell the church, “I have been on this journey for some time now and I am still amazed at the mess that God keeps pulling out of my heart.”  My reaction to Him is much like my friend’s reaction to her doctor; “That was in there all the time?  And, did all of that come out of there?”  I mean, just when I think that my heart has been completely revealed, God allows an encounter with the right kind of pull and pressure that causes some more stuff to manifest!  Oh the times that I’ve tried to blame my difficulties on certain people and certain encounters instead of admitting that if there was nothing ugly in my heart then the encounter couldn’t draw it out!  Do you know what I mean?  Being easily drawn or easily provoked in any way will have more to do with what’s going on inside you instead of what’s going on between you and others.

We cannot blame others for our lack of self-control, immaturity issues, lust, anger, jealousy…  Need I go on?   Instead of getting upset with others that seem to have personalities that draw you, provoke you, or really get your goat - thank God for allowing what was hidden in you to be revealed.  Without His help that stuff might sit there undetected, tunneling deeper and deeper.   After all, it is what’s in our heart that defiles us and it never hurts to look a little deeper.

Loving U Like a Sister,

Regina