by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Luke 6:45
 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

Max Lucado once wrote about the way a potter checks his work. When he pulls a pot out of the oven, he “thumps” it. If there’s a good, ringing sound-if the pot “sings”-it’s ready. But if there’s just a “thud,” the pot is put back into the oven. As Max wrote, a person’s character is also checked by thumping:

Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. “You’ve-got-to-be-kidding” deadlines. These are all thumps. Thumps are irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat-footed. They aren’t big enough to be crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out!

Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (see Luke 6:45). There’s nothing like a good thump to reveal the nature of a heart. The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics, but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to-day living.

How do you respond to “thumping”-to the knocks and blows and trials of life? Do you sing? Or do you thud? Your answer depends to a large degree on what your “pot” is made of-what’s in your heart, as Jesus said.

But even if you have a tendency to thud more than sing, take heart. There is hope. We can learn from the thumps. We can be aware of “thump-slump” times, like “blue Mondays,” after a holiday and such. No thump is a disaster. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God.