Words
Reveal the Heart
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his
heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his
heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
–
Luke 6:45
On the surface, she is
a good person. She is a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She volunteers at
church. She works hard at her job. She is a go-getter who gets things done.
Then there is the rest
of the story. She is an arrogant bully who uses whatever means necessary –
gossip, lies, political backstabbing – to get her own way. Even at church,
where such things should never be in the equation, she is known as a bully.
Ouch.
Do you know someone
like her? Are you that person? Do you display an attitude if people don’t agree
with your suggestions? Do you get angry and talk bitterly behind someone’s back
when they choose something different? Are you a win-at-all-costs kind of
person?
It’s as though we’ve
developed a disconnect between living as Jesus and living to get what we want.
In Jesus’ name, of course. We believe that it doesn’t matter how we reach our
end goal. We justify our behavior as being okay because it’s for a worthy
cause. It’s not okay.
I recently watched this
woman turn to ice and struggle to even speak because she was so angry. The reason?
Someone else decided to place a combination lock on a cabinet rather than the
key lock she chose. What difference did it make? More people would have access
to supplies without having to track down a key. It made sense. But it wasn’t
her idea and she was furious.
When we find ourselves
getting overly upset about small things, maybe it’s time to do a heart check.
When we become furious because someone doesn’t do things exactly the way we
think they should be done, maybe it’s time to rethink our motives. Pride comes
immediately to mind. So do control issues.
Who’s in charge of your
life? Who’s in charge of your heart? If the answer is anyone other than Jesus,
then you’ve got a problem that impacts everyone around you. As Christians, we’re
called to live for Jesus. Our words and our behavior should reflect that.
The hard truth is that
we’re not always going to get our own way. And that’s okay. The hard truth is
that not every idea we have is going to be well received by others. And that’s
okay. The hard truth is that not everyone is always going to like how we do
things. And that’s okay.
Life has taught me to
let go of the small things that don’t really matter in the end. I’ve learned to
let things roll off my shoulders when they don’t make a difference to Jesus.
Consequently, I’ve grown stronger in standing up for things that really do
matter. I’ve become someone who won’t back down when it comes to Biblical
truths and decency.
We’re on the same team,
you and I. We’re Christians trying to live as Jesus’ light in a dark and trying
world. It’s when we lose sight of that, when we try to make it about us, that
we end up spewing out anger and bitterness that have no place in God’s Kingdom.
So, the next time you
get ready to have an attitude with someone else, look in the mirror first. You
might find that the real problem lies in your heart.
