Frontage

When checking out a property to buy, you can’t always depend on the frontage. The house can look good, and actually be good on the outside but it’s only when you put the key in the lock, open the door, and look inside that you get the full picture. The homeowners that I know, all make sure the garden is neat, grass trimmed, flower beds weeded regularly, and window frames painted etc.. The reason is simple. It sends the message that the interior will be as well cared for as the exterior, and that is normally true.

There are certain times of the year when we like to make sure everybody sees a good exterior, and that is as true for us, as for any property. Christmas is one of those times. While the world’s picture of ‘sweetness and light’ conveyed through our TV and other media is nice, it is not the full picture either. To get that, you must have a key to the front door and be inside to have a look around.

In the darker corners you will find a mixture of tears, regrets, grief, sorrows, sadness, and a fear of letting anyone else into your secret life. As long as you can keep eyes looking at the outside smile, you can hide behind the real you. And anyway, who apart from direct family, really knows, notices or cares? This is the time when our greatest comfort comes from the knowledge that God, the only one who really matters, sees the heart and knows the real you. The truth is, that’s more important than all the others who look from a safe distance, don’t get to the front door, or ask for a key. Isn’t it a comfort to know not only that God has a key, but also has free access to the hidden secrets of your heart?

The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1Samuel17:7NIV

Fake Smiles

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. Proverbs 14:13

Who says the Bible is irrelevant? The fact is, it is filled with truth, from Genesis to Revelation, showing birth, life and death in a real context. The above verse is one of those uneasy truths, and somehow I know you will relate, but it is equally good to hold onto the verse: “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3”. It’s not only in the Bible, the secular world knows this truth too, and is mirrored in the words of the old song:

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by If you smile through your fear and sorrow.

How do you know the smile of the heartbroken or sorrowful? You don’t. It’s as simple as that. I was reminded again today that the folks who can smile convincingly, are the very ones who carry the heaviest load. You might think they are just good actors, but I happen to believe they have a very keen sense of their own humanity and mortality. Not in a morbid sense, but in such a way that they see life more clearly, and that includes being thankful for all that God has given them in the here and now.

I would be the last person to wish ill health or heartache on anyone, but when you are close to Jesus, you believe that everything will work out in His plan. On a personal level I had a lot of difficulty with Romans 8:28, but that was because I was looking on as my loved one went through the growing stages of cancer, and yet I saw that same trusting spirit in another fine Christian lady today. Neither would think negatively because they trusted the verse completely, but mostly because they have full confidence in their Saviour. And that’s exactly what Jesus would do in whatever form it takes. Jesus would ‘save’, and He does, because He was and is a ‘Saviour’. So, when you are having a really hard time, and as difficult as it sounds, take this verse to heart. Romans 8:28 is still true and it works today: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”