There is magic in a marsh sunset, when the water mirrors the sky above. I can watch the water, looking for ripples of movement to reveal the wildlife under the surface while admiring wispy clouds swirling overhead. And I can witness the water and sky as one, the water working to reflecting much bigger blue above.

King Solomon must have sat beside water while contemplating his life. He wrote a Proverb that says;

“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.”-Proverbs 27:19 ESV

 He saw his face reflected on the surface of the water so clearly, an accurate display of who he truly was with no artistic exaggeration or distraction by his wealth. 

In the same way, water can reflect the truth, our hearts reflect our character. It’s a freeing thought in a world that provides so many ways to display the kind of people we are or want to be. 

Search Your Heart

I have tried many methods to show the kind of person I am, or want to be. At times I focused on the external, hoping that if my physical appearance looked put together others would believe I was just as polished on the inside. Other times I became an actress, mechanically going through the motions until my heart caught up with my actions. 

But in the moments I speak from the heart, maybe I’m tired and speak with no filter, or maybe I gather my courage and intentionally share my deepest feelings, I provide a pool for others to see my true personality. These moments catch me by surprise as well, revealing depths of my heart I had not discovered yet.

Authentically opening our hearts is the best way to show who we are. While honest heart-to-hearts are a special gift, God always sees our hearts.

In Proverbs 27, Solomon echoes the wisdom of his father David who said;

 “The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought.” -1 Chronicles 28:9  ESV

When God searches our hearts, knowing every longing and thought, he’s not coming from a judgmental place. Instead, he’s looking for the good in us, how he can use us for his purposes and show us our potential. This truth could make us feel exposed and vulnerable to an all-powerful God, but it leaves us empowered to use his loving guidance to discern our hearts. 

David asked God to search his heart, saying, 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!”-Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

We too can ask God to search us and know our hearts. The more we open our hearts, we gain a better perspective on who we are.

Still Your Heart

Some of us may be filled with relief to know our hearts reflect who we really are, some may be equally filled with shame. What if we search our hearts and we don’t like what we find? What if there are parts of us that could use improvement?

This Proverb reminds us that we don’t have to work hard to shape our hearts with our own power. Instead, we need to be like water.

Water only provides an accurate reflection when it is still. Water reflects the glory above when it’s not rushing with busyness or churning with forced progress. When we stop trying with our own strength, we invite God to work his restorative power. Using our own power is a kind of self-righteous sin.

In another song, David sang,

“Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.” -Psalm 4:4 ESV

If we are going to see our true nature with any kind of clarity, we need to still our hearts. We need to lay in solitude and silence our minds. Give yourself time to be still and wait for the mud to settle. Giving yourself this grace will allow us to see ourselves the way God sees us- full of potential, his precious, chosen children made in his image. May our hearts reflect his love and grace.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace is a writer based in coastal Georgia. She invites readers to explore and wonder about the goodness of God and make their own faith discoveries. Her husband and cats cheer her on, swimming is her escape and cheese is her fuel.