Keeping Up Appearances

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call

Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been, my sins are staring me down.

You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time; in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.  Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.”

Psalm 51:1-6 The Message

 My neighbor is working on improving her lawn, but only the front lawn. If you view her property from the front, it looks really good. However, the side and back are sandy and there is barely a patch of grass to be seen. I also can keep up appearances. I slap on my makeup, do my hair and dress so everyone sees a well put together outside. But the inside of me doesn’t always reflect the same picture. We all tend to keep up appearances.
I am reminded that nothing is hidden from the Lord. He created us and knows every detail about us. I can hide nothing. I can’t gloss over the barren areas and I can’t cover up the ugly well enough so that He does not see it. I am also reminded that I don’t need to come to my Heavenly Father and pretend to be what I am not. I can come to Him as I am. He knows what I need to see and is gentle to lead me to see areas that need attention in order to bring about change and transformation. Don’t you find you have areas within in you where the grass is green and flourishing? Don’t you look beyond that green patch and find only dry sand and no sign of water or vegetation?
The bad news is that we all put on appearances but know there is something lurking in the background that isn’t so pretty. The good news is Jesus works in these areas of our lives to bring more life, more growth and more of His image. The process can be tough, and the view not so pretty, but Jesus is at work behind the scene to do a mighty work in you today.
Blessings,
Kathy
Kathy Withers is on staff at America’s Keswick and serves as Director of Partner Care. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 30 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church and teaches a Bible Study for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.