When I was growing up, I would stand in front of a full length mirror to examine myself to make sure I was presentable before leaving home. Today people can take a selfie and enlarge it to find even a few hairs out of place. The problem is, I don’t think we are qualified to examine ourselves in that superficial way or in any other. When we self-examine our condition physically or spiritually, we either see ourselves as we used to be or as we want to be, but seldom as we are. We either see ourselves through rose colored glasses, overlooking even serious problems; or we critically magnify the tiniest or even imaginary flaws turning them into major issues of concern. We may ask someone we trust for their opinion, but their perspective is limited by their senses and clouded by their emotions. What we need is someone who can see through us and see what’s going on inside. No, it isn’t Superman. Only the Creator of the universe can actually see us when we think we are hidden or hear us when we think we are in private. He can see through our exterior and examine what is going on inside of us – even to our very core.
About six months ago, I found a very noticeable swollen area on my left wrist with no pain or discomfort. I asked my physician about it. He said it was in the area of a lymph node but didn’t seem to be the node itself that was swollen. He ordered X-rays. In the meantime, I nervously explored WebMD for the symptoms of lymphoma to perform a self-diagnosis. Of the ten symptoms listed, I only had one – swelling. Even though that was reassuring, I could not rest until the lab sent the X-rays to my doctor and he got back to me with the results. It appears to be a ruptured tendon even though there is still no pain. It’s nothing to worry about, but I had no way to know that for sure without that picture of what was going on inside.
Want to know your true condition? Request an external and internal examination by your Creator. In Psalms 139 the psalmist first describes God’s ability to know us inside and out and then in verses 23 and 24 he places an order for X-rays; “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
As believers we don’t have to evaluate our own condition. The Holy Spirit within us will show us what God sees when He looks at our hearts and our minds. It is like seeing ourselves through His eyes. All we have to do is ask and then review the results with Him to determine any needed treatment.