Window of the Heart
Sometimes in my early morning, you’ll find me at the kitchen sink. I have learned that it’s best to wash my dishes as I dirty them, but occasionally a busy evening gets too long. And the longer they sit, the harder they are to get clean. So, this morning I was scrubbing the inside of my pot and thinking about the outside. The flames of our gas stove really build-up on the surface and it’s practically impossible to keep the exterior clean without a lot of time and energy. I mostly do a quick scrub and keep my pans hidden away. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me much. It’s not like the exterior of the pan affects the food I serve, although some may judge me on how bad my pots and pans look. Kind of like what people do too. There’s a world of judgment on external factors while ignoring the internal ones. A scarred exterior can keep people from even drawing close enough to peek at who you are.
Even the woman who attended Jesus, pouring expensive perfume on his feet, and anointing Him for His task ahead was judged on her appearance. A prostitute. Unworthy. Her waste of money could have been given to the poor. It was unwarranted external judgment, yet Jesus holds her up as an example stating what she had done will always be remembered as good. And 2000+ years later, this holds true. Jesus looked through to the window of her heart.
Internally, I’ve been dealing with an issue. I have an abscessed tooth. The pandemic complicated matters, and it took ten days to get in to the dentist for the diagnosis. Then an oversight led to waiting another two weeks to get a referral to a specialist. My limited supply of antibiotics kept the infection from progressing, but my body was unable to heal until the needed root canal pulled the infection from my bad tooth. The specialist said that the wait allowed the infection to travel into my empty nasal cavity. Yup, I also now have a sinus infection! Without cleaning out the root I was only getting sicker.
Jesus gave His own example of inward importance within the ordinary. At His last meal, eaten with friends, he held up an everyday cup and said, “This is the blood of my covenant.” His focus was on the drink, not the cup. A promise of forgiveness was offered. An exquisite transaction, His personal suffering for flawed mankind. It’s the very message of the gospel and hope for a condemned world.
Our inner man is either our strength or our weakness. Character shows up in the overflow of the heart. So, as my internal infection clears and I hide away my dirty looking pans, I think about Holy Week. I ponder Jesus’s Walk from the Garden of Gethsemane to the torture of the cross. I am so glad He accepted me in my uncleanliness and was willing to be judged in my place. I’m awestruck that a supernatural God would die for me. It’s beyond comprehension. My choked response is, “Thank you, Jesus.”
Blessings,
Debbie G
NOTE- This message was one of the many I sent to my children during a 9-month period. I called them my ‘Mom Monday emails.’ I will be occasionally posting them here. (original date 3/29/21)
You’ll find both biblical references here: Matthew 26:6-28
#GettingtotheRoot #ACloserLook #OverflowOfTheHeart