God taught me so many things in the years I worked in the public school setting. One thing I learned while working with children was to listen more and talk less when a child was acting out. In listening, I could gain insight into their actions/behaviors, to what was going on in their mind and heart in order to help them. Luke 6:45 says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings out evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart the mouth speaks.”
From the moment we become that new creation in Christ, God begins to transform us from the inside out. Growing up in a Christian home, I knew how to conduct myself on the outside. I knew how to present as a properly devout Christian. But there has been much refinement needed on the inside of my heart. Over time, He has shown me motives in my heart I didn’t even realize were there…they most often come from places of fear, pride, and unhealed wounds. This refinement begins with a willingness on my part to slow down, talk less, and listen more as God reveals my heart. Yielding ourselves daily to that process is such a benefit to us, to those around us, and it brings glory to His great name.
Father, help us each day to surrender the inmost places of our hearts to Your beautiful transformational work. You are the Master Craftsman, and we trust You with the process.