Luke 2:34-35 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

This prophecy about Jesus is significant in many ways, but the point that stands out to me right now is the one about the thoughts of many hearts being revealed. People really don’t know how much they reveal about themselves sometimes. Some people seem better at hiding things than others, but it all comes out in the end. The thing is, God knows our thoughts even as we think them, and as Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” (Luke 12:2) We see some of that in the news today, with many people in power of one sort or another being shown to have abused that power for their own pleasure. We think we are getting away with things, but nothing escapes God’s notice, and in time He will reveal it all. This prophecy is specifically about Jesus, and indeed, how people respond to Him reveals a lot about them. There are those who seem to respond with enthusiasm and even dedication, but then are pulled away by the things of the world. The Biblical example of that is Demas. In Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24 he is mentioned along with Luke as a “fellow-worker” with Paul, but then later Paul writes to Timothy that “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.” (2 Timothy 4:10) The thoughts of Demas’ heart were revealed, and they were not good. Some cultures have made hiding motives into something of an art form. Japanese use the terms tatemae (built in front, or public face) and honne (true sound, or genuine feelings/motives) The problem is, too often we don’t really understand our own motives, and get caught up in all sorts of hypocrisy. That’s why God’s grace is essential for us all, and why we all need to walk in humility.

Ministering in Japan as I do, this is something I deal with constantly. However, I have found that Japanese are far from the only ones who will say one thing and do another. When I was in seminary in Texas one of my professors told us that in popular “theology,” it’s not a sin to lie to the preacher and say you’re going to attend church when you have no real intention of doing so. That seems to be true the world over! I was raised by a father who held absolute honesty as one of his core principles, and it certainly rubbed off. As a writer I can create fiction, but only with the understanding that it is fiction. I hate deceiving intentionally. Because that is the way I am, I tend to take people at their word perhaps more than I should. That has certainly led to a lot of disappointments. I learned long ago that only God is perfectly faithful, but I get “refresher lessons” in that far more often than I would like. At the same time, I need to let the Lord show me the difference between intentional deception and simple failure to follow through. I do plenty of the latter! Since I am so much in need of the grace of God, I need to extend that grace to others.

Father, we’ve had some painful times recently. Help me remember what Jesus went through with His own disciples, and take my comfort in You. Help me be honestly transparent so that people may see Jesus through me. Keep me from trying to convict people myself, but leave that up to Your Holy Spirit. (John 16:8-11) Give me courage to confront when that is called for, but always to do so in love, so that the Body of Christ may be built up, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!