“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.”
Proverbs 27:19 (NLT)
God knows our hearts, but it is impossible for anyone to know what is truly at the root of someone else’s heart. Heavenly Father didn’t give any of us the ability to look inside another person’s core, and that’s a good thing. Most of us have a lot going on internally, some positive and some not so much. We’re works in progress. This means that as we notice things about ourselves that aren’t so pretty and that do not line up with the example of Christ, we address those things through prayer and by renewing our minds to God’s Word. There isn’t a word in the English language that can express how important it is that we address the not so pretty stuff inside, because not doing it can be blocking the blessing we desire most.
When it comes to the man that we want to attract, some of us have some inner workings that could potentially cause him to be repelled rather than attracted to us. In Romans 12:2, God urges us not to be conformed to the customs and behaviors of the world, but to renew our minds by putting on the mind of Christ. This means that you and I must change the way we think. It is necessary so that we can be transformed into the men and women that Heavenly Father desires us to be. Without changing the way that we think, our hearts will not change.
We are made in the image of God, which means we are spiritual beings, just as He is Spirit. We are His children and our very nature should always reflect His love. God isn’t telling us to take on His nature just because. He has a reason for this, and it is because He wants the best for us. The best things in life are magnetized to our existences when His love is the focus of our hearts and minds. It will ultimately cause nothing but goodness and sweetness to flow from our inside out. It is what makes folks want to recognize and connect with us. So it can’t be a secret to anyone that when something negative is trying to takeover our hearts, it can potentially be a hindrance to our blessings. Uprooting this negative behavior, attitude, mindset, or emotion from our lives should be a main goal of ours.
Any of us that has been saved for a while knows that even if a person is a Christian, they can still be nasty, malicious, and cynical. This is because of what is operating at the root of their hearts. We can try and hide this, but after a while it will eventually be revealed, and someone will see who we really are because our actions, attitude, and feelings will expose us.
Notice that Proverbs 27:19 uses the transparency of water to illustrate how the heart reflects the real person. Water is clear and reflective. It also moves and expands. This gives us great clues about where our hearts will take us if we are committed to saturating them with God’s love. Only the power of the Spirit that indwells us and the truth of God’s Word can change our reflection from one of discontent and doubt, to that of faith and joy. Submit to God with a mind-and-heart-set that is humble and ready to see what is at the root of your own heart. If it isn’t a good reflection, be committed to change it, so that you are spiritually prepared to receive what God has for you.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.