Two Sides . . .

 

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1279448

I saw a car the other day that looked normal but as it turned the corner, I was caught by surprise – the whole passenger side was completely smashed in! 

 

And it got me thinking . . . there’s a lot of things in life with two sides.

 

There are two sides to a coin . . . two sides to a story . . . two sides to a book.  Even Star Wars has two sides . . . the good side and the dark side.

 

People have sides too!  There’s our good side that we parade around for all to see and there’s our dark side that we hide and cover up hoping no one will ever get a glimpse of.

 

There is a story in Matthew where a young man comes to Jesus wanting to know how he can have eternal life and Jesus tells him he must obey the commandments.  Look at the man’s response . . .  

 

“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied.  (It’s as if this young man is saying, "Look can you see my good side?)

 

“What else must I do?” (He asks.)

 

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  (With laser like precision Jesus goes after the dark side of his heart.  How do we know that?  Because of the young man's response.)

 

But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Matthew 19:20-22)

 

Showing off our good side and concealing our dark side is second nature.  But as this young man found, you can’t hide your dark side from God.

 

Jesus is in the business of changing EVERY PART of us – the good, the bad and the ugly.  This process of change can be terrifying, excruciating and seemingly unbearable at times but it’s in the struggle and the pain that the true beauty is uncovered. 

 

Remember . . .  stuff that takes no real effort isn’t worth much, it’s the hard and difficult that has value in the end.

 

Will you stop trying to hide the dark side of your heart?   

 

Remember . . . He made their hearts, so He understands everything they do.  (Psalm 33.15) 

 

 

Who better to work on You than the One who formed you and understands everything about you?