More Than Meets The Eye

Picture by Caprice Miller

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”      – Psalm 139:23-24

What an interesting picture.  The subject in the middle is such a display of power and yet has such delicateness about it with the scroll work and lacy details of the iron.  The surroundings seem to be in direct contrast to that - a bit desolate and bare.   I also love the transparency of the piece.  It’s as if there is an optical illusion.  You find yourself looking right through it at first but then you realize it’s actually a horse.  And then you begin to examine more closely and notice the details that have gone into this piece.  It could be described as something that is “more than meets the eye”.  

Things that make us look closer and examine what is or isn’t there are intriguing.  And then there are other things that we soon realize should have been examined from a distance.  What would happen if we allowed our lives to be examined up close?  On second thought, perhaps we’ll keep that at a distance.   Up close scrutiny can be very unnerving.  It can expose things that are flawed or “unsightly”.  Sort of like the “white-glove-test”.  (Just don’t look under the bed or open “that closet”).  If we can keep people at a distance, they won’t notice the lack of detail or unsightliness that lurks beneath the surface.

Unfortunately, we can’t exactly do that with God.  He already knows what’s there.  But what if we were like David in the Psalm above and invited God to examine us?  He not only invites him to examine his heart, but asks God to point out anything that offends Him.  That’s bold and a kind of scary when you think about it.   It may be that we’re okay with God being aware that there are areas in our lives that are a little messy.  But as long as we are all aware, why should we go to the trouble of pointing them out?  That would just be painful. 

Unfortunately, that’s the problem most of us have.  It is easier to be aware that there is an issue rather than ask God to identify it and correct it.  However, by humbling ourselves and being transparent before God we open our hearts for Him to search.  It is in this moment before Him that He does something amazing in us.  As He points out those offensive things in our hearts, He replaces them with something beautiful and intricate and transforms our lives so that we can walk closer with Him.  What is left is now worthy of being examined up close because it is now so much “more than meets the eye”.