Have you ever glanced up at the next-oil-change-date sticker and gasped? I have. I’m the worst when it comes to remembering to get my oil changed. Don’t judge.

This morning, after gasping at the sticker date, I resolved to visit the local lube establishment this week.

Then I took a good look at the outside of my car. Black exterior dusted with a shade of yellow pollen. I’d have to make time to visit the car wash first. I couldn’t possibly take it to the lube place in this condition. Notice the order of priorities here. Who is this woman?

Of course we want to take care of the outside of our cars, that’s good stewardship. But is the outside more valuable than what’s on the inside? I think not, and I think you’d agree. It’s about balance. I can make sure the outside is shiny clean, but it won’t change what’s lacking on the inside.

How does this relate to our spiritual condition? Do we find ourselves more concerned about our dress, our hair, our outward appearance? I’m not talking health and exercise, I’m talking show.

No matter how well dressed and adorned, when we give more attention to the outward while neglecting the inward, sooner or later we’ll experience the consequences. For our cars, a costly trip to the garage. But what is the cost of neglecting to feed our souls?

Let’s keep our spiritual oil changed daily, staying in the Word, praising, and prayer. When we don’t, we find ourselves running a little rough.

God looks upon the heart. He can see right through that lip gloss.

So how can we become more grounded, trading vanity for humility?

• Personal time with Jesus. He taught us all about humility, not only what it looks like, but what it feels like.
• Study the Word. Read it. Digest it. Allow it to sink in deep.
•  Get Connected in Community – alone time with God is so important, but He wouldn’t want us to miss the value of community either. Find a study group of girlfriends. Grow together and encourage each other. Be real. Come clean.

True friendship is feeling freedom to confess, not feeling pressured to impress.

It’s okay to admit we’ve messed up. When we mess up, let’s fess up. Tinted moisturizer can’t cover internal blemishes. The blood of Christ can.

By the way, I happen to love tinted moisturizer. It’s great for the skin, but doesn’t do much for the spiritual condition.

Let’s not spend oodles on the outside, and short-change the inside. Invest in the internal, the eternal. Wall Street is no match for that choice.

Wouldn’t you rather be a spiritual girl than a material girl anyway?

What steps are you taking to grow spiritually in Christ? I’d love to hear from you.

 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV

Sweet blessings to you In Christ,

Doris

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. www.biblegateway.com