Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
What’s Lurking Under the Surface?
Once upon a time, my husband and I put an offer on a house that we were interested in buying. Our offer was accepted and the “fun” began. Dealing with the mortgage company, ordering inspections, putting down a deposit, etc.
One of the inspections found that there was some old termite damage. We spoke to the owner and he confirmed that they had found termites at one time. But they had it treated and everything was fine. This initial discovery didn’t bother us. We felt confident the termites we gone at this point.
But the plot thickened. The original place where termite damage was pointed out was on an interior wall. However, on further investigation, it was discovered that there was also damage on the exterior side of the same wall.
Now this made the termite damage scarier. The little critters had eaten away at both sides of the same wall. And this left us with big questions – how much damage was within the wall? How much damage could there possibly be on the studs? How much damage was there in the space that we couldn’t see? There was no way of knowing without opening the wall. The damage should be fixed. But without knowing exactly how much damage there was, there was no way of knowing the cost of the repairs.
The damage that was found took an expert eye to discover it. Just glancing at the walls, I didn’t notice anything until it was pointed out. The walls looked fine initially. But thanks to a deeper inspection, we learned that there could potentially be structural issues.
This story reminds me that there are so many things in life that look good on the surface, but can be a completely different story underneath. Here are some examples:
1 – Sin
The devil has a way of making sin look so appealing. But we have to remind ourselves that although it will be pleasing to the flesh in that moment, there will be costly damages in the long run.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7 NIV
2 – A Person’s Life
When greeting someone, it is common for us to ask, “How are you?” And so often the answer is, “Good.” But is it always try? Often, we don’t truly know what a person is going through. I am the type to say “good” even when I don’t mean it. Partly because I don’t like to complain and partly because I tend to stuff things down. So let us have compassion and remember that many of our acquaintances might be dealing with difficulties we know nothing about.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32 NIV
3 – A Person’s Heart
We all take time each morning to bathe, brush our teeth, fix our hair, and so on. Before we walk out the door, we want to look our best. But how much time do we spend on prepping our hearts and our minds? Spending time with the Lord each day should be part of our routine. He will help us remove any unattractive qualities in our hearts.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
These are just a few examples. There are many things in life that we can say might appear quite different on the outside versus the inside. But this leads to a question – how can we navigate life when what we see on the surface might be completely different than what is hidden? Walking with the Holy Spirit helps us to have discernment. He will guide us along the rocky path of life. When we stay anchored to the Lord each day, we will not be led astray.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. – John 16:13 NIV
(In case you were wondering, my husband and I wound up backing out of the contract on that home. And we found another home that suited us better. We are thankful that the Lord helped guide us in that situation!)
© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 
We often don’t see what is just beneath the surface in a person’s heart, or even in our own. These are wise thoughts, Bridget! A little humility, before God and others, goes a long way. Great post!
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Such a good point. Your words reminds me of Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” If we could humbly pray this prayer on a regular basis, the Lord will help us remove the gunk. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
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How true all this is! So many things are easily dismissed not thinking they are surface deep. Maybe we’re in a hurry or maybe we really don’t want to know. But either way we run the risk of being very sorry later. Thank you for this reminder, my friend. It’s well worth taking note of! ❤
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You make a good point – sometimes the busyness of life can keep us from knowing the full depth of a situation. But what’s worse is, like you mentioned, sometimes we don’t want to know. They say that ignorance is bliss. But is it? Maybe sometimes it is, but not always. You are absolutely right – “we run the risk of being very sorry later.” I pray this truth helps us to look at the bigger picture. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your insight! 💕🌸
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So true Bridget. We do not know what lies beneath the surface. It is with discernment that we are nudged if something lies within our hearts that needs to be addressed and with discernment to know when there is more to someone’s I am doing good.
I must confess I have replied ‘I am doing good’ just because I did not want to get into talking about anything then. Over here, people always say Hi how are you in passing without even waiting to hear for the reply, basically the tail end of that question is almost said after they have already passed you. I find that quite difficult to do and so I just Hi! or Good day.
Loved the post. Blessings my friend 🤗🌺
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Actually people are like that here too. When asking how are you, they often don’t mean it or don’t truly care about the answer. It is just a greeting, like hi. So I think I will join you and just say hello with most people. Haha! I guess I just want to find the right balance with those who are closer to me. I want to be genuine without complaining. It can be tough to know what to share and what not to. But the Lord can help us in these situations.
And you are absolutely right. The Holy Spirit can help us with discernment and wisdom. He can help us see if we need to address something in our own hearts. And He can help us when navigating with others. I am so thankful for that. We need only to cling to Him!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Blessings to you, dear friend! 💜
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Great writing Bridget! Boy can I relate to the “how are you doing?” and then giving a half hearted “good” for a response. And I know others our guilty of this too so it’s incredibly important to be mindful of this.
I’m glad you guys didn’t buy the house, a good reminder and comparison to slow down and really examine our inner self and go to God for wisdom and direction!
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So true. But another part of the half hearted “good” response – I am not one to push others or ask a lot of questions because I feel like I am being nosy and they might not want to talk about it. So it really does take extra discernment to know when to ask further questions.
It’s funny that a lot of times I will write these posts ahead of time. But when they are published, it winds up being something I myself really needed as well. I have been so stressed lately and that has really made me irritable. I guess I feel like I have a lot I can’t handle. So this post has helped me see that I am trying to take on too much and I really need God to help me.
So yes it is good to seek God for wisdom and direction. And I think maybe even when we think things are going well, we can still ask God if there is anything lurking that’s we aren’t aware of.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Your insight helped me to dig further! And I am so glad you enjoyed the post!! ♥️
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Yup I’m the same way, very mindful to not ask questions or pry..I’ve noticed people feel comfortable though sharing things with me which I’m thankful for but at times i don’t always know how to give advice so there’s that too.😬😅ahhh this life is a challenge!!
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Lol, I know what you mean. But on the other hand, sometimes people just want to be heard without receiving advice. So maybe it’s okay if you don’t always have advice to share. ♥️
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Yes this is very true.❤️
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I loved this analogy! And yes I was wondering if you purchased the home so thanks for letting us know you didn’t. God is good to us, just like the home, He guides us spiritually to show us the damage that has been done in our souls and then He helps us fix it. He restores us to a beautiful state. It’s a process most of the time, but He is faithful through the journey. Thanks Bridget! Enjoy your weekend. ❤️
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You said that so beautifully. And I especially like that you pointed out that it is a process. Often we get impatient and want to see change immediately. But we grow little by little, as we cling to the Lord. Thank you for reading and sharing your insight! ♥️
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