Exposed!

“Nana, your house is a wreck!” I turned around rapidly in surprise to see why on earth my four-year-old grandson, Lincoln was uttering these dismaying words. You see my house had just been cleaned and was looking top notch, or so I thought. Christmas décor added cheer and festiveness to the atmosphere as twinkling lights and shiny ornaments glittered across the house. Feeling rather smug that I was a little ahead of the game of the season I did not expect to hear such an exclamation from my little guy. And then I discovered the reason behind his declaration. He was standing with the door open to my kitchen pantry!

Although the entire house looked spotless (well, almost), Lincoln had exposed the hidden mess that had not been organized on cleaning day. Overflowing with the added groceries for my planned baking and cooking, it was exactly as he described . . . a wreck! Oh yes, I intended to clean and structure that closet some day. In my mind I had plans for that Martha Stewart look with baskets and bins, but it had not materialized. There was always something a little more important to do, and it was just too easy to close the door on the mess and hope and pray that no one would discover my hidden secret.

I just could not get those tell-tale words from my mind as I continued about my busy day. I knew immediately there was a lesson to be learned from those innocent words verbalized by my precious grandson. How many times have we kept some ugliness or mess hidden away in our hearts while we looked so fine on the outside? Perhaps we have actually been a wreck on the inside while still portraying a godly-looking Christian who had it all together.

Bitterness, guilt, disappointment, unresolved problems, or hatred might be looming within eating away as a cancer to an unsuspecting soul. Outward beauty can very quickly be destroyed by the seeping of the inward turmoil that has not been cleared and destroyed. Harboring the hurt of a broken relationship, the disillusionment of failure, or the crushing disappointment of unfulfilled plans can all contribute to a wrecked life.