But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.   

2 Corinthians 4:7

Poking through sale merchandise always brings me close in spirit to my mother, one of the great shoppers of her generation. How many times would some bargain, upon closer examination, reveal a spot or chip?  And, we would always laugh as we repeated the standard remedy, “If we put the good side to the front and the bad side to the back, no one will ever notice.”

Lord, that’s me. Through the years I have become an expert at putting my good side out. I can be kind, not from a heart of love, but from a desire to win acceptance. I can couch critical speech in spiritual terms. Even as I perform an act of service, I catch myself looking around to see if anyone is impressed.

Actually, Lord, I wouldn’t know how inwardly turned I was except for Your gracious visitation. A friend shares that something I said or did (quite apart from my calculation) made You more real to them. I lie awake for hours fretting over a problem to finally realize that only as I trust You for tomorrow will sleep come to me on this night. And, in an unguarded moment, the sweet breeze of Your Spirit overtakes me and I am filled with Your peace.

I know that as long as I live, I will try to hide the bad side. That is the reality of the human condition. Yet how often I forget that my bad side and my good side are made of the same flawed clay. In my self dwells no truly and lastingly good thing.

Lord, keep that precious and liberating truth always before me. Deliver me from the need to look good, sound pious or worry what others think. Fill me with a renewed vision of You and Your perfection. For You alone are real and lasting, all that satisfies and comforts. Lord, you alone are good.

Nancy Shirah