74. The Inner and the Outer Story
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Surely you desire truth in the inner parts.
Psalm 51:6T
HElife of every person is like a story being told on two levels,
the outer and the inner. The outer level is a story cried out in a
loud voice to passersby on the street—a tale of activities and
achievements. This is what people see when they look at our lives.
The inner layer is a story whispered in the dark to an audience of
one in the language of prayer, a story beheld by loving eyes when we
are willing to come vulnerably and open our hearts. And although
God already knows its content well, he will never force us to reveal
it.
The world judges our lives based on the outer story: our accom-
plishments. But God is much more concerned with the inner story:
the attitudes of the heart (see 1 Sam. 16:7). Day by day he is read-
ing the contents and chapters of our inner story, for that is where his
interest lies.
What is God seeking on the inner level? He is seeking the truth.
If we will bring to him the truth of who we are (good, bad, and in