How do you find out what is inside a sponge?
You squeeze it.
How do you find out what is inside a person?
You squeeze him/her.
I have come to find the comparison between this common household cleaning item and humanity is quite true.
When life is great – our finances are good, marriage is rocking and rolling, making good grades, kids are staying out of trouble, job situation is perfect, etc – it is easier for us to wear masks. When things are going our way, we are much better at guarding and filtering our outside actions and words to make ourselves look better.
However, if you want to find out what truly is inside a person, put them in tough situations. When we go through a crisis, stressful situations, and difficult circumstances, we lower our guard to our selves and inhibition takes over. In other words, we see what is truly on the inside when we are squeezed.
I am convinced that God cares about this. I am convinced that God cares way more about the inside than the outside. I think that is why Jesus is so serious and stern when he goes ballistic in Matthew 23:25-28…
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blink Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
What are you like on the inside? When you are squeezed, does love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and other things of God come flowing from the very core of who you are? Or does hate, bitterness, jealousy, anger, impatience, and other negative things come flowing from your inside when you are squeezed? God cares a lot about the inside…so should you.
How do you find out what is inside a sponge?
You squeeze it.
How do you find out what is inside a person?
You squeeze him/her.
Brian, so well said. From one who has been squeezed by a vice over the last year, I am sure he cares about the inside. I also think that it may be a test to see what we have learned, how we apply it, and most of all who or what do we lean on. Anger, hate, bitterness, jealousy and impatience are a much easier and more natural road when you are being squeezed. You don’t have to work at it, all those feelings are right there at your finger tips waiting for you to act on them. The harder , more unnatural road is the love, joy, peace, compassion, self-control and faithfulness. When the life is being squeezed out of you love and joy are hard to hang on to. They are not naturally waiting for you. You must search for them. But, if your faith is strong, and you lean on the word that he has given us, and the people and gifts that he has sent us, the squeezing turns out to be a good thing. We pass the test and arrive on the other side stronger, happier, with more joy in our hearts but most of all with a stronger understanding and relationship with our Lord. When you get to that point it makes the squeezing all worth it.
Ok BC, Have you been listening in on my phone calls or reading my blog? Either way, that sure has hit home. The last 3 to 4 weeks have been REALLY stressful and emotional unbearable. So up to last friday I thought I was doing good. And so being squeezed one last time, the ugly goop came out and I did something that I shouldn’t have. Knowing just that one thing can mess up your walk and your talk is heartbreaking for me. I have learned to pray for strength in my weakness everyday. But you know, I know God is with me even when I stumble and fall flat on my face. He is there to lift me and dust me off. Thank goodness for His loving mercy and grace.
Linda – I see God in you daily. You are one of the strongest people I know. You ooze Jesus.
Teresa – I did not know you had a blog. What is it?
So true! Also….when you’ve been being washed in funk (hanging around the wrong people, addictions, media, etc. ), your insides don’t come out too clean when squeezed…both sponges and people need Jesus….
Hey, and I just now read your comment about the soccer game! Thanks!
I am not sure how smart that was to start one…but I did. It is off wordpress. tadlock.wordpress.com……right now i so just want to vent and it wont be pretty if i do….
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