What Is Inside Your Heart? Answer Honestly

It Will Only Come Out Of It What’s Inside

ORANGE JUICE

I was preparing to give a talk and I decided to bring an orange to illustrate what I was going to say. 

I started a conversation with a young man who was sitting in the front row, and I said,

- If I squeezed this orange as hard as I can, what would come out?

He looked at me as if I was silly and said,

- Juice, of course!

- Do you think apple juice would come out of it?

- No! (He said laughing).

- And grapefruit juice?

- No, not grapefruit juice.

- What would come out of it?

- Orange juice, of course.

- Why? Why is it that when I squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out?

- Well, it's an orange and that's what's inside.

I nodded and said,

- True. Let's assume that this orange is not an orange, but it is you and someone squeezes you or puts pressure on you, and tells you something that you don’t like; this offends you and anger, hatred, bitterness and fear come out of you. Why does these come out?

The young man said,

- Because that's what's inside.

This is one of the great lessons in life: What comes out of you when life squeezes you, when someone causes you pain or offends you? If anger, pain and vengeance are the things that come out, it’s because that’s what’s inside. No matter who offends you, whether it is your mother, your brother, your children, your boss, etc.

If someone does or says something to you that you don’t like, what comes out of you is what's inside. When someone squeezes you and love comes out, it’s because that’s what you have allowed to be in you.

Today there is an orange for you and me. Now, we have to reflect what’s inside us, because " the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart" [Matt 15:18].

They "squeezed" Jesus and the only things that came out for Him for us were forgiveness, blood of love and mercy. He gave us a living example that, although he was insulted, he was lacerated, humiliated and treated even worse than a criminal, He only gave us love and forgiveness!

What do we do when we are squeezed? What are our actions, words and feelings? Those of Jesus?

"Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Thine."