Proverbs 20:4 (ESV)
“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”
The fall season is a perfect time to prepare for winter months. Horticultural gurus tell us it’s also the perfect time to plant something new, but most of us are busy with fall clean-up and getting rid of leaves. It’s common knowledge among house owners that having a yard full of dead leaves, and not gathering them up, can leave you with weeds and dead grass in the spring. It creates dry patches and that’s not good. So, raking the yard in the fall is not the most fun thing to do, but it’s necessary. However, while we’re doing all the raking and cleaning up, some of us miss the benefits of also preparing the ground for harvest. We invest all our energy above the ground and forget to prepare what’s underneath.
Prettying up what can be seen and not prettying up what can’t be seen is how many individuals approach their internal landscape. Our seasoned sisters have often given us wisdom about this. They tell us, “It’s not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside that makes us beautiful.” Inner beauty radiates on a much deeper level than outer beauty, and we learn this from God’s Word. Samuel, God’s prophet, was tasked to anoint the new king that God had appointed. The prior king had been handsome and virile, and Samuel thought these attributes were most important to our Heavenly Father. He chose someone based on this, but he was mistaken. 1Samuel 16:7(NLT) tells us, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1Samuel 16:7 gives us important insight and knowledge about prioritizing the care and content of our hearts. King Solomon said to God in 2Chronicles 6:30(NLT), “then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart.” The contents of our hearts determine the kind of lives we will live. They determine the opportunities that our eyes will physically see, and the contents of our hearts can also blind us from the opportunities that would position us to receive blessings.
In Psalm 119:18(NLT), the psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” Sometimes our eyes are closed to the things we need to see, and because of this, we busy ourselves only taking care of our physical appearance, and not taking enough care of our hearts and minds. We’re not feeding our souls enough of God’s truth so that our minds are strong, and our hearts are pure.
The psalmist also prayed in Psalm 119:29(NLT), “Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.” This is so awesomely important for us as well. When the contents of our hearts are selfishness, bitterness, rage, jealousy, self-importance, resentment, and pettiness, we lie to ourselves by thinking we can please God without stripping off these heavy things. We cannot please God without having faith in His truth and obeying it with a heart that is humble and deeply devoted to Him. We must remain continually humble before the Lord and pray as the Psalmist did in Psalm 119:39(NLT), “Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good.”
The seasoned perspective of our wise elders to pretty-up and pay attention to our inner landscape is very beneficial to our desires for marriage. This wisdom will help to keep us from missing the opportunities we’ve longed to receive. They’ve also told us that, “What’s on the outside may cause a man to look, but only what’s on the inside will cause him to stay.” We need to pay attention to that. God instructs us to have a heart and mind like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and this is what He expects us to do. Pleasing Him by following His instruction is the only way to open our eyes to opportunities. Then we won’t miss the ones that lead us to the treasures that we desire most. ■
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.
“A Seasoned Perspective”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!