This summer hubby and I were kayaking at the lake with our daughter, and our son and daughter-in-law. We kayaked over into this little sheltered cove and puttered around, exploring.
At one point, as we were chillin’ on the water and chatting together, my son put his kayak paddle down into the water to see if he could reach the bottom. Lo and behold … the paddle only went about halfway down then hit the bottom! What!? We were floating in water which was only about waist deep! You would never know just by looking at the surface!
Check out the cool photo my son was able to get with his GoPro …
Really cool!
We kayaked out of the sheltered cove and over to explore some submerged trees sticking up out of the water …
Check out the cool underwater photo my son was able to get of this particular tree …
God sees beneath the surface.
Just like the GoPro could take photos beneath the surface of the water so we could see what was below … so also, God sees “beneath the surface” of every single person.
God sees the fears we are struggling with … just “below the surface.”
God sees the disillusionment we are struggling with … just “below the surface.”
God sees the disappointment (just “below the surface”) when we put on a brave face and say: “Everything’s ok” … and keep going with life. But the tears are hovering … just “below the surface.” We feel like breaking … just “below the surface.”
The pain from yet another rejection from “that” person we are trying so hard to love … God sees that pain. God sees that hurt. Nobody else would know. Looking out across the surface of the “water” of our life, everything looks fine and peaceful.
But God can see “beneath the surface” of our heart.
All the questions we are struggling with (just “below the surface”) … God can see every one.
The confusion over duplicity (which we wrestle with “below the surface”) … God can see our struggle.
Our disgust at hypocrisy (which we hide “below the surface”) … God knows. God can see our struggle.
Our exhaustion … our weakness … our brokenness … our emptiness (which we hide “beneath the surface”) … God can see. God knows.
To everyone else our life looks like this …
But God can see “beneath the surface.”
It is a comfort to me that my God can see “beneath the surface” of my heart.
It is a great comfort to me that when I’m broken and empty and weak … my God knows. My God sees. My God knows the great sacrifice it is for me to do the things I’m doing (which look like “no big deal” to everyone else). But my God sees the sacrifice it is for me. And my God cares. It matters to him.
It is a great comfort to me that when I’m struggling with confusion due to lies and duplicity, and I don’t know how to make sense of it … my God knows. My God sees my struggle. My God gives me peace. My God helps me not become bitter. My God helps me through it.
It is a great comfort to me that when I have disgust over hypocrisy … my God knows. My God understands my struggle. And my God can help me through it. My God can help me reconcile the disgust of the hypocrisy without actually hating the hypocrites themselves.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24
“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” – Jeremiah 17:10
– My God can see when I forgive … again … and again … and again … and again … and again …
– My God can see when I choose to love (in spite of hurt).
– My God can see when I choose to let offenses go.
– My God can see when I handle disappointments with grace and tact.
– My God can see when I choose to have kindness in my heart towards someone who is difficult.
My God can see “beneath the surface.”
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
