I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17:10 NKJV

What do you think of when you hear or read the word: gladiolus? Maybe an actual gladiator or something tough and fierce. If you pictured a flower, congratulations! Gladiolus is typically a Spring flower named for its little sword appearance (click for more info). For those who did not guess flower (me) don’t worry. Because that’s actually the meaning of the flower: faithfulness, integrity, infatuation, strength through trials, remembrance. One saying to say to someone when you give them a gladiolus flower is, “You pierced my heart.”

Intense! Especially for a temporary flower that is born in the season of blooming. Such strong moral values and passionate meanings are what we picture when someone says warrior or gladiator. A pretty flower that happens to look pointy, not so much. But just because we see it that way, doesn’t change its history. What we see is not what we get.

Our eyes lie to us all the time. They see through glasses colored by our experiences. If someone sees roses at a sorrowful funeral for someone they love, they are not likely to see roses as super romantic. That does not change that they can be romantic, or the fact that the right person can change someone else’s point of view on the flower. What we see changes. We change.

God does not.

This is why we have to let God search our heart. He is truly faithful and constant. When we are blinded by the waves of life, He is the tall strong lighthouse that carries us home. The lies we let ourselves believe, good or bad, God sees past them and to the truth. God already sees who we are and what we do. He is the only one who knows us better than anyone, even ourselves.

You can try to help yourself all you want. Use the books, the machines, the diets, the therapy, but nothing will last. Only God can create the change you want and help you stay with that change. If you let Him in your heart. Create that relationship with Him. Make Him your best friend, your sibling, your mate, make Him your everything. Because you’re that to Him.

He’s waiting to give you all that He has.

Now, God might lead you to a therapist, an exercising group, a diet plan, a class, or an accountability group. He’ll give you whatever you need. You just have to trust Him and follow Him. Let God search and pierce (penetrate) your heart. Don’t let your eyes sway to the left or to the right. Don’t give them room to lie. Stay on course. Follow God. Stay encouraged. Change will come. No matter what you see.