Underneath It All

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s I approached my sixteenth birthday, the desire to have a car of my own became the driving (no pun intended) force of my life.  Those of you who have teenagers understand exactly what I’m talking about.  I ate, drank, and slept cars, dreaming about being my own person, going where I wanted, when I wanted, and with whom I wanted.  The only thing stopping me from owning my first car was money and that meant getting a job.  My dad agreed to my working, provided it occurred only on the weekends and my grades didn’t slip.

One of the local hospitals needed someone to work the second shift on Saturday and Sunday evenings.  This met my dad's requirements for a job and it also provided me the opportunity to work in a hospital.  This was very important to me because I was seriously considering pursuing a career in medicine.  Once the initial training was over, I settled in as a clerk and orderly for the x-ray department.  I learned how to use the computer, how to file, how take inventory of the supplies, how to help with patients, and how to develop x-ray film.  It was a very interesting job for a sixteen-year-old boy and I loved it.

Because the x-ray department was adjacent to the emergency room, we stayed busy, especially on the weekends.  There were always fender-benders, or sports injuries, and the occasional scuffle that got out of hand.  However, there were also very serious injuries and other cases that were life-threatening.  But I will always remember the case of a small boy who came to the emergency room with a very tender ankle. 

This young man had been playing football with his neighborhood friends.  The game was going well and his team was winning.  As he ran down the field to score a point, he hit a small hole in the ground and twisted his ankle.  He found it very difficult to walk and his parents decided to bring him to the hospital just to make sure everything was all right.  His ankle was not swollen but it did hurt him to walk on it.  We all thought it was a severe sprain but the doctor decided to x-ray it anyway. 

When the film was developed, the ankle looked normal.  All the bones were in the right places and there was no evidence of torn ligaments or cartilage, and there didn’t seem to be any underlying reason for his pain.  However, when the radiologist looked at the film, he discovered a small hair-line fracture in one of the smaller bones of the ankle.  This fracture would have gone unnoticed and untreated had it not been for the x-ray and the skilled eyes of the radiologist.

Our lives often resemble this young man with a hurt ankle.  Life has away of tripping us up, of causing us to stumble; and in the process, we can suffer damage.  The real danger is that sometimes the damage is more severe than we first believe.  What we need is a good, thorough examination, someone who knows what to look for, where to look, and what to do once any damage is found.  What we need is for God to examine us thoroughly from the inside out.

Hebrews 4:13 is one of the most revealing scriptures in the New Testament.  The writer of this passage understood that when God examines us, he discovers anything and everything that hinders us from living the victorious life in Christ he so desperately wants us to have.  This verse states, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”  

There are two basic truths in this wonderful passage.  First, nothing is hidden from God.  Everything we do, say, believe, feel, and think is open before him.  While this may be bothersome to us at times, it is also a source of encouragement.  It means that God sees deep inside our hearts and he knows everything there is to know about us.  Nothing about us escapes his watchful eye, and his examination is thorough, discovering all the little quirks and hang-ups that life sometimes sends our way.

Second, the scripture teaches that we are accountable to God for our actions and our lives.  We show our accountability to God when we come to him with an open and an honest heart, asking him to examine us and to repair anything that is broken or damaged in our relationship with him.  The outward appearance doesn’t always indicate the true status of our relationship with God.  What lies underneath in our hearts, in the hidden and secret places of our beings is the true barometer of our walk with God. 

That evening in the hospital, the doctors were able to repair that boy’s ankle and to begin the healing process.   The x-ray machine made it possible for them to see through his body and to isolate, diagnose, and repair the cause of his suffering.  God wants to do the same in your life today.  Won’t you let him give you a thorough examination?  Won’t you open your heart and share it with him today?  Only he is qualified to determine the areas of pain and difficulty in your life and only your Heavenly Father can heal and restore you to a right relationship with him.  Remember, it’s what’s underneath that counts!  Have a wonderful day.