Words and Actions

Earlier this week I watched a programme called ‘Cowboy Builders’ where you hear of heart-rending stories of how people have been deceived by those who have carried out some work on their homes.  The gentleman in question last night had given unrealistic quotes for doing jobs and then demanded more money.  When the money was not forthcoming he just left the job in a total shambles causing problems for the family concerned.  At first he gave a good impression, showing photos and with smooth words and assurances but what he actually did was something quite different.  The Ronseal advert springs to mind when it says ‘It does what it says on the tin’.  We are all appalled at such behaviour and have no sympathy for the perpetrators but total sympathy for those affected.  We would never dream of doing something so unethical. 

Much has been revealed of late about priests who have not lived up to their chastity vows.  The recent Roman Catholic cardinal in Scotland resigned over such an issue.  In public he condemned homosexuality and sexual impropriety but privately was guilty of the things he spoke against.  One reporter said of him, ‘The outside and the inside don’t match’.  Again most of us read in horror of such things and cannot see ourselves in a similar situation.  But I can’t help wondering if in maybe different ways we don’t always live up to what we like to appear on the outside.  A friend of mine describes some people as ‘the outside is different from the inside’ and I think that is a good way of describing someone who isn’t always what you thought they were when you get to know them better. 

A few weeks ago I received an email (thank you Tommy) with a story about a lady who had to stop her car at some traffic lights.  The driver in front had stopped as the lights changed to amber forcing her to stop.  She was irate, swearing and gesturing suggesting that the light was only amber and that both had time to cross before it changed to red.  She went on shouting until a police officer knocked on her window and wanted to talk to her.  Asking her to step out of the car he said that he was taking her to the police station for questioning.  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  At the police station she had to wait in a cell until the issue was sorted.  The policeman eventually went back to her and said that they needed to check that she was the owner of the vehicle.  He explained that she had stickers on her car saying ‘What would Jesus do?’, ‘Follow me on Sunday to Church’ and ‘I chose Life’, and so when he saw her reaction and heard her swearing he thought the car must have been stolen.  This may be just a story but it kept me thinking. 

God sees the inside and knows our hearts.  We can’t fool Him but often other people only see the outside.  I pray that in me the outside and the inside may always match up and that people aren’t disappointed when they get to know me.  Or as the old gospel song says, ‘I want my life to tell for Jesus’.  People won’t buy it if it doesn’t do what it says on the outside of the tin.