Inside Out
Have you ever seen an absolutely beautiful home, with well-manicured landscaping, the paint looking fresh, the windows shining, even the car in the driveway sparkles? And then, you walk up to the door, knock or ring the bell, and you walk into a mess? Shambles would be more like it…filthiness clutters the once ornate staircase, dishes are strewn about granite counter-tops, and dirty clothes are flung to land where-ever they will…I’m sure the architect would cringe if he could see inside this home that was built to showcase beauty and imagination and a solid foundation. He would probably feel sickened by the mess that was once a display of true craftsmanship. He might even turn and leave…….knowing full well that this home is worth much more than what it becomes, and so He’ll set out to find a fresh design, one that appreciates its value and serves its purpose with Grace and Dignity.
I wonder if that’s how God feels sometimes. He comes to our heart, knowing that we are the temple of the Holy Ghost. He knocks on the door, just to spend some time with us. We hurriedly allow a moment with him … but the chaos in our heads and in our lives makes Him drawback … He wonders why we have so much inside of us that is left as clutter – the things that we keep saying we are going to “throw out”, the parts of us that need to be re-cleaned, even the areas that we have once dedicated to him are now junk piles for negativity, mistrust, doubt and even fear. And as God stands at the door, staring in silence at what we are offering Him as a temple, do we feel embarrassment? Do we make excuses for the disarray? Do we hang our heads and quietly say “it is what it is”?
Have we become shells that once held the beauty of grace, the humility of forgiveness, the enthusiasm of faith? We carry ourselves as if the internal temple is only relevant externally…but God knows. And when we don’t allow ourselves to give true reverence and respect both inside and out, then we are discrediting our “designer”. We aren’t living up to our fullest potential as the vessels we were created to be. How can we lead, guide others to a full life in Christ, if we are only a hallow…shallow….container?
The word of God speaks of how we must die daily… it’s a process that we must undergo if we truly want to maintain our temple. Would you not pay your mortgage or your utilities for months on end? Would you let piles of food, trash, clothes and junk take over your home? Then, why would you allow this to take place in your heart…Gods home? We have allowed our minds to spend more time dwelling on our frustrations and fears, but do we spend the same amount of time finding encouragement and claiming the promises in Gods word? We allow movies, TV, music…even books & magazines to be our “hobby”, but we spend more time on them then we do in prayer. I’m guilty, so please don’t think that I’m being hypocritical, I’m just sharing whats in my heart. We even spend more time on our outward “presentation”…tanning beds, hair salons, shoes/accessories…and yet, when we go to church, half the time people look like they grabbed what was on the floor. And that’s how we go to meet God?!?!?! Our concentration is on the latest trend, and how much we can “get away with” regarding our modesty and appearance. We walk a fine line between the trash of the world, & the separate life we were called to live.
If you held a job where a dress code applied, would you show up in your pajamas? If your workplace required a hard hat and safety glasses would you instead opt to wear jeans and flipflops? Of course not! You would, in fact, dress the part that you are expected to fulfill as an employee… It’s the same concept externally as it is inside our hearts. What you choose to display is your right of free-will, but just remember that we are the Temple of the Holy Ghost….if you’re gonna walk the walk, you’ve got to have it in your heart of hearts!
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