Painting the outside first doesn’t work

My family and I recently went through the joy and agony of buying a new house. From the moment we saw it, we knew we loved it. I only spent twenty minutes looking through the house before we decided to make an offer. It seemingly had all the things we were looking for. What I realized after our offer was accepted was the magnitude of inspections that would follow. Hours of an inspector going through our new home and ensuring that while it looked good on the outside, the structure and inner workings of the house also needed to be solid and secure. I was so caught up in the aesthetics of its beauty that I forgot about the bones, the electrical, and the foundation. Luckily, the inspection came back with flying colors. After selling our previous home, moving in, and starting school, we are finally settled in (boxes still unopened) to our new family home that will give us lifelong memories. Not only is it beautiful on the outside, but it is secure and trustworthy in the inner workings where we can’t always see.

Equally, our lives exemplify how we are made in God’s image. Yet, we can be so focused on how we look on the outside, through our good looks, good reputation, and influence, that we forget the reflection of God we are called to be on the inside. Through our outward actions, we are called to reflect God’s character working in us through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We must inspect the inner workings of our souls to ensure that what is shown on the outside isn’t just a front for something untrustworthy and deceitful on the inside.

This election season is already off to an eventful start, with candidates and politicians sharing their views on how they will lead our great country. Party affiliations aside, I’m looking for the inside that matches the outside before I vote. I’m seeking a candidate with a character that speaks to Jesus’s call to love our neighbor and do unto others as we would have them do to us. But mostly, I’m using this election season to really reflect on how my actions and character align with those values. Instead of complaining, I’m going to do something. I’m asking, “How might my stubbornness and vanity be harmful to others?” Instead of bickering about one rumor/clickbait story after another, I’m asking, “How am I pushing people away from God with my bitterness instead of bringing God’s love to all people?”

No matter how good something looks, further inspection will always tell whether its inner workings are safe and secure. Let’s do this together; through prayer, discipleship, community, and serving, let’s maintain a solid faith foundation in Jesus Christ that reflects God’s beautiful, hope-filled workings from the inside out