2 Minutes of Hope February 15, 2021
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good' and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."
- Luke 6:45
Have you ever said something that upon the words coming out of your mouth made you immediately question, "Where did that come from?" It is so easy in today's climate to constantly be in a reactive state. Pretty much anything can cause you to become triggered.
Every minor inconvenience, from having to wear a mask to go anywhere to not being able to eat indoors and even working from home has left the bulk of us, myself include, pretty dang grumpy. But as we turn today to the gospel of Luke, we read one of the realest heart checks that Jesus has to offer. He says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."
If I'm being honest, my thoughts and my words lately have been struggling to be spoken out of an abundance of peace, hope and love, and as I read this verse I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to take inventory of my heart once more.
It's easy to forget that our hearts are a deceitful place, one that needs constant examination and purification.
And so in this moment I let God in as I tenderly pray the heart testing verses found in Psalm 139, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
It's not long before I find myself in yet another situation that brings out yet another explosive reaction. (Sorry God.) After all is said and done, I calm down, regain perspective once more and realize it was all a test. And once again, I received a big fat F.
Does this situation feel all too familiar to you today? Know that you're not alone. I challenge you today to let the Lord take inventory of your heart so that you can make room to grow in His love.
Let's Pray...
Heavenly Father, thank you for your loving kindness and long suffering nature.
While I react out of pain and anger, you respond out of mercy and love. Thank you for never giving up on me and loving me endlessly, just the way I am. Today I give you permission to open every door of my heart, shine your light on every dark place, and remove everything in me that is not pleasing to you.
In Jesus' name, Amen.