Am I toothpaste?

This week has been a crazy blur.  Insane busyness, blessed conversations, and lots of learning.  Tonight, I was reminded of an illustration I used a few years ago while teaching about the condition of the heart.  It may be a little cheesy, but bear with me here...

So much of our society these days is consumed with image- how we appear to those around us. What we look like, how we act- how we are perceived.  And whether we realize it or not, most of us probably have an image in our minds of how we would like to be perceived by others.  Beautiful?  Popular?  Athletic?  Generous? Powerful?  These are just a few things.  We may even alter the way we dress, the way we speak, the careers we choose or the people we surround ourselves with in order to be perceived in a certain way.  The way that we think we should be perceived....the way we want to be perceived.   

Of course, there is nothing wrong with perception in and of itself, it is only natural to discern characteristics of others based on their behaviors.  The trouble arises when we decide that how we are perceived is more important than who we truly are.  When the focus becomes the external rather than the internal.  You see, it is possible for a time to convince others that we are something other than what we are.  The key is...for a time.

Take a tube of toothpaste for example.  It looks like a tube of toothpaste.  It comes in a box that says toothpaste on it.  Heck, it even says toothpaste right on the tube!  Why would you believe there was anything but toothpaste inside that tube?  But what if....when you squeezed that tube....mud came out?  Well obviously if that really happened it would freak me out- I mean seriously who would want to brush their teeth with mud?  

While it's a silly example, this is life.  It is so easy for us to get caught up in our image- in what we appear to be rather than who we actually are.  You see, we may want everyone to think we are toothpaste.  We may look like it, feel like it, and act like it.  But inevitably there will come a time when we are squeezed....when we are tested, and the mud that is really inside our tube will come out.  

I know I sound crazy talking about toothpaste, but the picture is so clear to me. It's like this with my heart.  I want to be the real deal.  I don't want to just say that I love the Lord....that I want to follow Him.....and that He is my everything.  I want my heart to be pure.  Generous.  Giving.  When I am squeezed, when I am tested- I want nothing but His love to pour out.  My desire is that I would be able to say without hesitation... as Paul said..."Follow Me as I follow Christ."  

So, am I toothpaste?  I hope so.  Please forgive my crazy analogies once again... :)