What Would Your Heart Say?

We had put the children to bed and sat down to channel surf for a bit before turning in for the evening. We landed on a show called "True Beauty". The contestants are vying for a spot in People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People" issue. They were taken to a doctor who claimed to be a beauty expert. The doctor measured their faces to determine what their beauty factor was and each contestant was scored. Some contestants were glad to hear, according to the numbers, they are beautiful. Others thought they were beautiful, but were disappointed when their numbers didn't reveal it on their faces. Although I know this was a "reality show", I thought to myself how sad it must be for people to concern themselves only with their outer self.

Last week, my husband brought his stethoscope home with him and laid it on the counter. The next day, I saw Will put the ear pieces in his ears as he walked over to Gracie. "Gracie," he said, "I need to listen to you." Gracie stood still in front of Will as he put the stethoscope to her chest. "Gracie! Gracie!" Will shouted, "I hear Jesus in dare!" (in his 3 year-old dialect). "I know," Gracie told him, "that's where Jesus lives, silly!"

1 Chronicles 28:9 says, "Acknowledge God and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind your thoughts." God knows our heart and His x-ray vision sees how dirty we really are. But by His grace, He only concentrates on the prettiness of our heart. When He lives inside us, His grace turns ugly into beauty.

Will's experiment got me to thinking....if a stethoscope was put on my heart, what would others hear? Would they hear someone who is bitter, accusatory, judgemental, and always complaining? Or would they hear a giving attitude mixed with mercy for others and a love to see the unsaved saved?