God Sees Your Heart by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

Have you ever had those days where everything and everyone bothers you? I have found that my worst days are when I have been on the go non-stop and have not gotten enough rest. I am a relatively even-tempered person, but it is in the stretches of constant travel and simultaneous projects where I might raise my voice and lose patience with someone.

Difficult days happen to everyone, but when we overreact, most of us will apologize to the person we were short with, then beat ourselves up for losing our cool. However, if we are Jesus followers, even on our worst days, the Lord sees our hearts. Jeremiah 17:10 says, “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve” (NIV).

God knows the true nature of our hearts. He knows what drives us. He knows if we want to help others. He sees the way we are serving Him. He knows how much we care for His children—our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to His amazing grace, He also gives us a hall pass when we mess up, and I am grateful.

In the same way, we should be kind to others when we know that they are stretched beyond their capacity. Like the LORD, let’s be more patient if someone is edgy with us. Try to understand the nature of the edginess and find ways to love unconditionally. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

So let’s be patient and do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let’s also first try not to take our stress out on friends and family, but if it happens, we can know that God still loves us and knows the true nature of our hearts.

Do you know that God loves you no matter what? He sees your heart.