Reveal

Reveal

Don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

“I THOUGHT LINDA was a friend. I guess we aren’t friends, at least not in the way I thought we were.” Sheila’s shoulders slumped in resignation as she fiddled with the paper wrapping from her frappé’s straw.

“What? I thought you and Linda were relatively close, as far as coworkers go. What happened?” I asked as I slid into my side of the booth at our favorite coffee shop.

Sheila and Linda are coworkers at a local government agency. When a temporary position became available at a higher pay grade, most of their department applied, despite its temporary nature. An email announcement had gone out late Friday afternoon announcing Sheila had received the position.

“When Linda got to work on Monday, she mumbled a terse greeting instead of our normal few moments of chatting as our computers turned on. That was days ago. She barely looks at me, despite us sitting next to each other. She even went to our supervisor and accused him of rigging the process! I know she loves Jesus as much as I do, at least I thought she did. . . . I don’t know what to do in the face of her hostility.”

There is nothing quite like disappointment to put our faith to the test, revealing what we actually believe. It’s easy to quote Scripture, to profess an undying faith when life is relatively smooth sailing. But it is in the midst of deep disappointment that our actions reveal the strength of our faith to those around us, often louder than any words of faith we’ve professed. And, like Sheila, people take note when our professed faith is not revealed by our actions. While it is natural to be disappointed, what we reveal in the midst of our disappointment is a silent witness to the depth of our faith. We don’t have to lie or pretend that we aren’t disappointed, but we can abide by the rules of good sportsmanship, and not hold someone else’s good fortune against them.

Lord, help us to be women whose faith is revealed consistently in the ups and downs of life. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Ask two faith mentors how they handle disappointment in ways that reveal their faith. What tangible actions can you adopt for future disappointments? How can you practice revealing a consistent faith to those around you?