The Back Yard

I had a conversation last year with a guy in my neighborhood.  He told me something that I already knew.  He said that he only cared about his front yard - that his back yard wasn't a priority to him.  This is true.  His front yard is nicely mowed, has plenty of flowers, and gets a regular spray of chemicals from a lawn maintenance firm.  Meanwhile, the back yard barely gets mowed and receives no extra TLC.  Why?  The back yard can't be seen!

This is hardly a unique view.  Watch any remodeling or house-buying show on HGTV and the first thing that most people look for/want is 'curb appeal', i.e., what the house looks like from the street.  Obviously, looks are very important and the difference between a house/apartment with good curb appeal and bad curb appeal can mean tens of thousands of dollars.  As always, I see a spiritual application in this.

It is only natural for each of us to care about the part of us that others can see, the 'front yard' as it were - our hair, our face, our body, our clothes.  Since these are our 'face to the world' they receive the majority of our time and attention.  Meanwhile, the backyard - our thoughts, our values, our spiritual health - can't be seen by others.  As a result, this part of our lives often receives little of our time and energy.  What does the Bible say about this?  I think you know.

In I Samuel 16:7 we are told "God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  And in Psalm 51:6 David says of God, "Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being."  Clearly God, who can see the real 'us', cares more about the inside of our lives than the outside.  So, if this is the case, then we should too!

So, the next time you sit on your back deck, take a look at your yard - what kind of condition is it in?  Then, think about your soul and ask the same question.  That's what I plan to do.

Lord, it is so easy to give all my attention to my exterior, the part of me that others see and judge me by.  Help me instead to put most of my attention to my interior, the part of me that You see and judge.  In Jesus' name, Amen.