It Must Come Out

I just wanted to make a quick post. I know what you are thinking....."That is not going to happen". Well, it is. We had an awesome weekend. We had the Deep South Quartet Convention at our church. It was just amazing. I cannot even start to explain it. I think you can still see it at www.dsqc.org.

I heard 3 different people share the exact same thing within 2 days of each other. I felt it must be something that needed to be shared. Each person was talking about something different, but the truth behind it really hit home. Whatever is on the inside must come out. I have heard it said that if you squeeze a lemon - lemon juice will come out. What happens when life, people, satan, or even God in His love squeezes you? Think about that for a minute. We can only fake it for so long. First impressions are usually pretty good, but if someone spends a little time with you, what are they going to learn about you? I have found that as I travel and meet new people, it doesn't take long at all to know what they are all about. Whether you realize it or not, the people around you know what you are all about.

I am not just talking about our words (although those are pretty accurate indicators of our hearts), but our actions and even our facial expressions and body language speak loudly also. When I think of all the many people in my life and of people I have met only once, I feel like I have seen it all. I usually encourage my ladies to look at themselves the way God sees them. That is what is really important - but right now as I list a few things that must come out because they are in the heart of a person, look at yourself through other people's eyes. (OK, teachers, don't evaluate that sentence - I speak in run-on sentences. That is just how I roll). As I have spent time with people, here are a few of the things I have seen and heard: anger, discontentment, complaining, jealousy, doubt, bitterness, arguing, whining, rebellion, self-centeredness, etc. Then there are those precious people in my life and the God-appointments I have had with people that I only spend time with once. They exude joy, praise, love, peace, faith, kindness, selflessness, thoughtfulness, and a whole lot of Jesus. Don't you just love spending time with those folks? Don't you want to be one of those folks?

If you found yourself described more in the first list, it can't be fixed by changing the way you talk or working really hard to smile. Remember, it all comes from the inside. You have to go to the root of the problem - your heart. Get alone with God and ask Him what He wants you to do to be a person that is a blessing to Him and other people. He will tell you.

That was relatively short, wasn't it? God bless you.