Saturday, February 2, 2013

Electricity and the Heart



Some years ago I started to experience very sharp  pains shooting through  my eyes.  It was like a lightning bolt of electricity, startling in its sudden intensity. As it was happening fairly regularly I began to worry there was something seriously wrong.
During my next appointment with my optometrist, I told her about the sudden pain in my eyes and she explained it this way.   She said our bodies can build up electricity until it is at a point where it needs to find release and there is only one 'exit' from our body -- the eye!  
Her explanation made sense to me and put me at ease,  but as I thought about it I realized that it presented a vivid spiritual  application.

I think most people want to be 'good' , measuring by whatever standard they hold up for themselves.
Some people define good by what 'feels' right, others strive to please man and some try to please God.  
It is in our trying to please God that we realize how far we fall from His standard of perfection.

According to God's view of man, we all fall short --  we all are subject to a sinful nature, preferring to look out for our own selfish desires first.    Even when we strive to live outwardly pleasing lives,  giving an impression of a kind, godly person -- we keep things buried in our heart, resentment, unforgiveness, anger, doubt, fear, worry,  impatience.     It is these buried things that need to be taken care of.  They are like the electricity in our body that will build up until -- in the flash of a moment --  they find an 'exit' place.    Just like the electricity in our body has only 'one' exit , so also the hidden things of the heart have as their only exit - our flesh, often  - our mouth!
Have we not all experienced that flash of temper, hurtful words, angry outburst  or selfish act that  catches us by surprise and is often directed at someone least deserving of it ?
We think we can hide some aspect of our character or attitude or thoughts that we know is less than pleasing to God.  But it keeps silently  'growing' in our heart.

We  hide that feeling of resentment because we were slighted or passed over in being given what we 'deserved', holding onto it because letting go is like letting go of something that we have a 'right' to.
We  hide that secret fault or sin that no one can see or know because it takes effort to change.
But we can hide things in the 'cupboard' of our heart only until it is so overflowing that the slightest jar will spring it open  allowing its contents to spew forth from the door of our mouth!  

 "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks!" (Matt.12:34)

How much better to keep a 'clean' heart, letting go of things that hurt us first and others in time.   If we bring our concerns/hurts/faults/sin  to God, He will never reject us and will be ever "faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"  (I John 1:9) 
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5 comments:

ellen b. said...

Reminds me of so many verses in Romans. The good we want to do....

KathyB. said...

This is so true. Seems we can often hide our true self for just so long, then all we have harbored in our hearts bursts forth , often surprising us. Hopefully we are surprised by God's words bursting out, but more often than not, it is the hidden sins of my heart that show themselves. Thankfully, God is kind and gracious to me, and forgives.But oh, when will I ever learn my lesson?

Kathy said...

Garbage in garage out....good in good out! May we all continue to overflow with the good that is within us because of Christ's working in our lives.

Lovella ♥ said...

So true ...so true. What an amazing learning tool with the eyes.

Unknown said...

True, scientist has proven that some part of our body can generate electricity, eyes are one of them and also hair, remember the lesson about static electricity. Power Supply Company