Search My Heart

Search My Heart

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.

2 Corinthians 1:12

Many things symbolize a Christian’s faith walk: attending church, acting with kindness, and maybe affixing a fish symbol on your car. The Amish have symbols too: prayer kapps, beards, and buggies are a few.

To understand the Amish, one must appreciate the central role that that horse-drawn buggy plays in their life. The horse-drawn buggy is more than a mode of transportation, it’s an important symbol of separation. Embracing the automobile would be, in the minds of most Amish, surrendering the simple way of life they have embraced. . . .

The carriages can range from small two-seaters that aren’t much more than a cart to sleek, plush behemoths that can comfortably carry a family of fourteen. The Eichers’ buggy is very typical . . . seating all ten family members quite comfortably. Buggies are made according to the dictates of the local church rules (ordnung). Some Amish sects are vehemently opposed to the orange “slow-moving vehicle” triangle required by some states.

We like symbols of our faith because we can see those symbols. We can see a buggy, but we can’t see a forgiven heart. We can mark church attendance, and we can weigh actions, but only God knows the soul.

How we conduct ourselves before the world matters to God, but how our hearts look matters even more. One simple prayer is found in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Driving a buggy or wearing a kapp is a choice, but it’s grace that will usher us into eternity with Christ.

Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve judged someone by his or her outward presentation. Let me judge only my own heart. But more than that, You search me, Lord, and weigh what You see.