“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

Luke 6:45

Most of us have a heart problem. Not the emergency room kind of heart problem, but the pride-filled kind. We may talk a good talk, but our actual walk with Jesus is more like a toe-stubbing, fall on our face, low-belly crawl. We spend more time making people think we have it all together, than we do focusing our hearts and our minds on Jesus. And when we have them fooled, we see that as a win. Then when the coast is clear, when we are with family or our “safe” friends, the mask comes off, and everything we have masterfully kept hidden flows right on out.

When we allow outside circumstances to dictate our moods, our words, and our actions, we demonstrate Jesus’ point: The ugliness that comes out is the same ugliness that’s inside. We fall far short when what flows from our hearts is selfish, angry, and hurtful. But when we remove the mask we desperately want others to love, when we choose humility and soul-deep honesty, then He can grow our hearts. When our hearts grow, we stop performing. And when we stop performing, others are more likely to find Christianity attractive and desire an authentic relationship with Jesus.

The world is starving for authenticity and thirsting for truth. Those who are lost aren’t looking for perfect people, but for people who don’t hide their imperfections. So be real! Show them true Christ-like humility. Walk your talk with a desperately-in-need-of-Jesus kind of humility, not an I-have-it-all-together kind of pride. And when you stub your toe and fall on your face, stand right back up and brush yourself off. Ask for forgiveness, receive the grace Jesus offers you over and over…and walk on! You are loved!