Re-Evaluate Your Heart: My Journey through Psalms 101

My absolute biggest pet peeve ever is feeling like I have been lied to.

It pushes my buttons so deep, I need spelunking equipment to retrieve them after my emotions blow a canyon into everything around me.

It’s a character flaw. I know. It means I have less grace than I should because let’s be honest, we all lie. Sometimes.

That moment when you only tell part of the story. You have your reasons but little did you know, the other person already knows the rest of the story. Feels like a lie.

The time you asked a question, but they think you don’t really want the truth because they think you know the truth already.  The other person misrepresents the truth or even fibs. Feels like a lie.

I could go on like this forever. I hate it. And I pride myself on the tenants in Psalm 101. As the message says:

My theme song is God’s love and justice, and I’m singing it right to you, God .

But here’s the problem with pride. Sometimes, the theme song is less about God and more about what you are trying to prove to the world.

I’m finding my way down the road of right living, but how long before you show up? I’m doing the very best I can, and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.

There are a lot of ‘I’s in that verse. I can relate, but sometimes we let the ‘I’s have the reign and we stop letting  God determine what is right. And true. And just.

And by we, I mean I.

Because I have moments when I am too righteous to see people’s hearts. As the psalmist says

 I refuse to take a second look at corrupting people and degrading things.

Which is good, but not when it is guided by own pride and selfish pride. That’s when letting justice be your theme song can take a really nasty left turn and it becomes less about justice and more about proving yourself right. All. The. Time.

There is a lot to be said for letting “No one who practices deceit…dwell in my house”, but there is also a lot to be said for “walking in my house with blameless heart”. You see, they go hand in hand.  No matter how hard I try, I can’t have a blameless heart if I am constantly looking for the blame or deceit in others. Not only is it exhausting, it’s not justice.

So my theme song will stay love and justice, but each day I must re-evaluate my motives. Am I singing love and justice for Jesus or for myself?

The answer to that question, my friends, will make all the difference in how I live my life and how others see Jesus.