One day a broken hearted woman went to church to pray. Unfortunately she chose a church where the priest was out of touch with God. Since fervent and intense prayer was not something he was accustomed to when he saw her passionately imploring the Lord to answer her prayers, he assumed she must be drunk and rebuked her for coming to church like that.
Jesus said what we fill our heart with is what will inevitably come out our mouth. Because this priest’s heart was cold toward God his default setting was judgment, not mercy. He immediately assumed the worst rather than defaulting to the best. But love “always looks for the best”. (1 Corinthians 13:7 MSG)
What we fill our heart with colors how we see others and how we see the world. If we think the world is against us, that no one likes us, that people are judging us we react in ways that cause that to happen. If we are always attune to the negative, always quick with criticism, always assuming the worst we make it harder for people to approach us, to love us.
Yes, they should look beyond that. It would be wonderful if everyone could see the “real you”, look past your outer facades and love you in spite of your prickliness. But this is the real world. None of us live as we should. We are all just people – like you and me.
So what are you full of? What do you file away in your heart? Are you judgmental, critical, falsely spiritual like this priest? Or do you fill your heart with ideas of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness etc? What you are sowing in your heart is what you will reap in your life. Make it sweet.
PS – The woman mentioned above was Hannah. You can read her story and what happened as a result of the priest’s false judgment in 1 Samuel 1.
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Philippians 4:8, 9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. … And the God of peace will be with you.
Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law