Spirit Matters: The heart reveals true character – every time

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou

It often happens that when I slowly awaken to the day, some snippet from Jesus’s teachings will come to mind.

This week, it was the following passage from the gospel of Mark:

“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within, and they defile.” Mark 7:20-23

For context, Jesus was exasperatingly trying to explain to the Pharisees, and then his disciples, that following the laws prescribed for ritual cleanliness are superficial. Washing hands before eating anything considered “unclean” doesn’t change one’s heart, which is where one’s true character resides. In like manner, saying one thing to appease others and clearly demonstrating the opposite betrays a heart that is defiled, and that defiles others.

Our evil thoughts and behaviors have a poisonous, rippling effect on everyone and everything around us.

What Jesus is really concerned about, and the reason he incarnated, is the transformation of our hearts. He came to model a way of being and behaving that is after God’s own heart – one that values justice and mercy, kindness and compassion, seen in clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned, etc.

It is important to remember that being “naked,” “hungry” and “imprisoned” are not just physical states. They are spiritual states, too, and thus require us to think long and hard about who among us, including ourselves, is naked, hungry and imprisoned in outdated or destructive spiritual and/or religious beliefs.

Hearing Jesus’s words and following them can be really hard, can’t it? I recently saw something that said it well: “Worshipping Jesus is easy. Following Jesus is hard.”

Those of us who say we follow Christ at some point have done all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify attitudes or behaviors that we feel righteous in holding and continuing, but that are contrary to his teachings.

Jesus’s words could not be clearer, though, and they are broadly applicable, touching every aspect of our lives.

First and foremost, Jesus’s heart is with the poor, the lowly, the downtrodden.

And he has given his followers the responsibility of doing the same, even when it means sacrificing one’s own comforts for the sake of others. Jesus expects and trusts us to form our consciences in such a way that we put others’ needs and well-being at least on equal footing as our own, and that we go into the world voicing our support for those who can and will help those who, for whatever reason, cannot help themselves.

The truth is, character matters – more than anything. And to repeat Ms. Angelou, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

We show our hearts in everything we do and say, and whom we support to lead and guide us as a nation rich in religious, ethnic, cultural and ideological diversity.

We can engage in all the mental gymnastics we want, but at the end of the day, Jesus asks for and expects us to live with clean hearts.

Authentic followers of Christ will listen to their hearts, and choose and act with this in mind.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.