Yesterday in a moment of domesticity I decided to make Lemon Poppy Seed muffins. Seems benign, right? It should have been. It was my own fault really. I didn’t take out my glasses to read the recipe and used 5 tbsp of poppy seeds instead of 5 tsp. It doesn’t sound that bad but it turned a Lemon Poppy Seed muffin into a chewy, sticky mess. They looked pretty but it doesn’t really matter how nice it looks on the outside, what’s inside is what counts.
It really is what’s inside that counts. Think of it. Fresh warm bread has a marvellous texture inside. The soft lining of a favourite sweatshirt may not look appealing but feels delightful. The crisp clean linen sensation as you slide between the sheets could never be accomplished unless there was a between, an in the middle of, an inside.
The inside is what counts but in today’s world we often think that it’s the outside that matters. Who can blame us? Facebook has us posting pictures of ourselves when we look our absolute best. Food blogs look delicious but do the recipes really live up? Does anyone care? After all we spend our time looking at Pinterest instead of making something that we could enjoy in person. In our world it’s what’s on the outside that counts.
Jesus saw things a little differently. He saw through the trappings to the heart of the person. He knew that what was on the inside mattered.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25
Life for Jesus was about more than food and clothing. Life was about the experience. Life was what you made of it. If you’re feeling the pressure to live a Pinterest worthy life, don’t. Jesus didn’t and neither should you. It’s not how things look, it’s who you are that counts.
Life isn’t about looking pretty, it’s about living well and a life well lived is messy and filled with mistakes. You’re hair might get messed up, you might throw too many poppy seeds into the mix and in the end wind up with a disaster but you lived and you’ll learn. Life is about more than what you have, it’s what you do and who you are on the inside.
Here’s to a life that’s messy, mixed up and wonderful; a life that’s well lived.
