Clean on the Outside, Cluttered on the Inside

We’ve never been the couple with the shiniest, spotless car. Between the trees on our property and the Tennessee pollen count, what started as a gray car was quickly turning green. So yesterday, I drove through a car wash. The outside looked brand new again. It was shiny, polished, and refreshed.

But as I sat in the driver’s seat afterward, I glanced around. Crumbs. Dust. Leaves tracked in from the yard. The outside was clean, but the inside told the real story. So I pulled over to the vacuum station and got to work.

While I was cleaning, a thought hit me.

How many of us take that same approach to our lives?

We polish the outside. We keep up appearances. We smile in public, dress well, attend church, even serve faithfully. But the inside? That’s where the clutter hides. Bitterness that hasn’t been dealt with. Private struggles. Lingering guilt. Exhaustion we’ve ignored for too long.

Jesus had strong words for this kind of disconnect. In Matthew 23:25, He said:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

He wasn’t condemning people for being broken. He was confronting the practice of pretending. Of keeping the exterior polished while neglecting the heart.

It’s a challenge we all face, isn’t it? We can be tempted to prioritize perception over reality. To put our energy into making sure we look like we have it together instead of doing the deeper work God is calling us to.

Sometimes, it’s easier to run through the car wash than to pull out the vacuum.

But if we really want to live whole, honest, Spirit-led lives, we’ve got to let God do a deeper cleaning. One that starts inside. That means taking time to sit with Him. To confess. To listen. To allow His truth to sweep away what we’ve let settle.

And it also means not just spiritual honesty, but lifestyle honesty.

Are we projecting an image that doesn’t match our reality? Are we living beyond our means to impress? Are we saying yes to too many things just to keep up appearances?

Maybe this weekend is a good time to pause.

Not to condemn yourself. But to take inventory.

To ask: Is there a part of me that needs more than just an exterior rinse?

A Prayer for Today:

Lord, You see it all. Not just the parts I show others. Help me not to settle for surface-level faith. Clean the areas of my heart I’ve ignored. Teach me to value inner health over outward image. And give me the courage to live honestly before You and others. Amen.