I had just returned home after some time away, and the lawn had grown wild. It clearly needed mowing; badly.

Now, mowing is no small job. It takes hours and a fair bit of physical effort.

As I looked at the task ahead, I came up with a plan: “I’ll just mow the front yard for now; the part everyone sees; and leave the backyard for later.”

It felt practical. The front lawn was visible to neighbors and passersby, while the back and side areas were hidden behind a fence.

“What will the neighbors think of all this overgrown grass?” I asked myself. The priority became: What will others see? What image am I giving?

But as I worked, carefully trimming and tidying the front yard, a thought dropped into my heart. God was using this simple task to speak to something deeper in me.

How often do we do the same thing with our lives? We tend to focus on what’s visible:

• Our image
• Our clothes
• Our polished words
• Our social media presence
• Our “Sunday best” behavior

We work hard to make sure we look right in front of others—even in Christian circles.

But we can neglect what’s hidden:

• Our thoughts
• Our private decisions
• Our true motives
• The unspoken attitudes in our hearts

Here’s what struck me: while the front yard made the house look good to outsiders, the backyard was where my children played. It was the part that mattered most for their safety, from snakes, insects, and hazards hidden in the tall grass.

Cleaning the back first would have served the people who matter most. It would have reflected love, not just image.

And so it is with the soul.

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.’”
Matthew 15:10–11 (NIV)

The real danger isn’t in what others see; but in what’s happening in our hidden places.

That day, I chose to go the extra mile and mow the entire lawn—not just for appearance, but for integrity and safety.

And in my heart, I knew this wasn’t just about grass. This was about surrendering my heart first to the Lord, so that any beauty or “goodness” seen outwardly would be real, rooted, and safe.

Spiritual transformation starts with the inside. Only then can it overflow to the outside and bless others genuinely.