The Underneath Matters

I was painting a coat rack that was rather dark in color, a lovely shade of white. It was difficult to get the piece completely covered. Just as I thought I was done and went to move it, the light hit a spot that wasn’t covered.  It was underneath a shelf, a scarred area that wasn’t accepting paint well. A place most people would never see. I was tired of painting it and contemplated leaving it but knew if someone else moved it, they would see it too. That’s when it hit me…..The underneath matters.  The dark, underneath, well-hid places matter. Those places no one but you and Jesus see on the underneath of you, it matters. It’s what underneath that counts most. The place where it would be easy to leave it “not covered” where no one else would know. But, I would know. God would know. I don’t think it matters to God whether I painted that spot or not, but I understood the point He was trying to make. Many times we leave our wounds, our hurts, our scars, “underneath” where no one can see them. Just buried under the surface so that when we are moved or exposed to “The Light” in any way, the unseen becomes exposed. You know what I’m talking about. The things we hide from the rest of the world, those thoughts we tuck away. The things we are afraid to say out loud, but they live deep inside. The insecurity, the jealousy, the rejection, the anger, the feelings of inadequacy. Someone “tilts” us a bit and those things just beneath the surface creep out. They present themselves in words or attitudes, gossip, or judgement against someone else. Those scarred places underneath matter. Hurt people, hurt people. Take the time today to purposefully expose those areas to the Light, Jesus, and let Him fix and cover those scarred areas like only He can.  The surface can only be as good as what is underneath. A beautifully painted piece is only beautiful on the outside because the layers under it have been prepared to receive the paint. 

Psalm 139:23-24 King James Version 

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Lord, search me today for those scarred areas, the marks of deep scarring, that may not be covered well or that I have spent years covering and they are covered too well, expose them to the Light, to heal what’s broken in me so that I don’t stumble over my own hurt, pain, jealousy, or insecurities and hurt others with what’s “underneath.” Amen! 

 Many times when we are going through life, we think we are fine, when all of a sudden, out of the blue, we see it.  It is a spot that we didn’t notice, but it’s there nonetheless. Ugly, scarred, scuffed, vulnerable.   Sometimes we do not tend to things when they happen (have you ever tried to fix a water spot on a piece of wood? Or worse, on a piece of particle board?)  they become worse because we pick at it or try to cover it or blend it in, and what it needs is to be sanded off and start over? His mercies are new every morning. Each day we get a “do over”, a start from scratch, freshly sanded off, beautiful new day. If today wasn’t what you wanted it to be, if you acted poorly at some point, if you made wrong choices,his mercy is new for you today. THIS day you can partner with the Creator and paint your day into what it should be.