All Things Hidden... Exposed

My husband was the one who noticed it in the beginning.  When we first moved in he made reference to it.  He would even ask me if I’d seen it.  And I hadn't really.  I’m far less observant than he is to those kinds of things.


And I’m assuming it had been there for a while.  A discarded swing set sitting just beyond our property line on the edge of the nature preserve we are fortunate to live right in front of.  It’s beauty became the backdrop this fall and made for some amazing photo ops before the snow fell prematurely last week.

But even up until the last of the leaves made their decent from the trees, the swing set remained fairly obscure.  Hidden.  Secluded.  Unexposed.

And now that winter is setting in and the outward beauty has been compromised by dying foliage, I can’t help but see what lies beneath.  It’s hard to miss.  What was once detected only by the eye trained to see, is undeniably and glaringly evident.

And I wonder how long things of the heart can remain in secret before they eventually make their way out - manifest in a life?
How long can concealed motives be revealed in concise movements?

Matthew 15:18 reminds that, “…the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.”

Mark 4:22 says, “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.”

And so becomes the importance to keep diligent watch over the heart.  Because what comes out - what gets revealed - is what is most true about my heart.

I would write it on a sticky note - a version of this same lesson - to remind myself daily: What is seen from my life is simply a reflection of my focus.

Because the truth really is that what is inside will eventually make it’s way out.  I cannot keep it hidden forever.  I can try.  I can do all the right things, say all the right things, attend all the right things, and even surround myself with all the right things… but winter is coming and death reveals what is true.  The removal of beautiful exterior exposes the inferior interior.

“[Like] a clay pot covered with cheap silver, [so] is smooth talk that covers up an evil heart."  Proverbs 26:23

And the challenge becomes for myself… ahh… always the heart work of self when pen gets put to paper… keep watch over what’s inside.  It matters the most of all.

Because I can hide only for a time.