When An Epoxied Floor Is actually An Unexpected Swindle

My 2025 Word of the Year is KNOWLEDGE, so this is the first lesson I am learning about the knowledge books of Scripture. Character under pressure. What will be exposed in your heart?

My 2025 Word of the Year is KNOWLEDGE. I want to grow in my natural and supernatural knowledge throughout the year (again, a core principle of WOTY success is intentionality). I’m doing multiple things to grow in knowledge, and one of them is studying the wisdom books of the Bible more closely (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon). The following is one thing I unearthed this month.

The True State of My Heart

We moved into our current home a little over 10 years ago. Although the house is 50 years old, it was a complete flip when we purchased it. This means all cosmetic imperfections were addressed, and almost all core structural issues were repaired…but not everything.

As happens with a growing family of a couple of decades, we had accumulated a lot of stuff by the time we moved into the home. So, while we sorted through the boxes of things not specific to one place or another, the excess landed in our garage. It took well over a year to thoroughly sort through it all and another year or two before we had it ready to use as an actual garage that housed cars.

Photo by Claudio Poggio on Unsplash

After several pushes from my wife, I made it happen before another winter passed, and she began parking in our garage daily. This was great news, except it exposed one minor issue that became a major issue.

They put a beautiful epoxy floor on the garage when the house was flipped. After not too long parking in the garage, it became clear why…the floor was a mess of splits and cracks. After another year, it wasn’t just a few cracks but the entire floor breaking apart. Another year and rebar was exposed through the floor.

The smooth finish of the epoxy covered a broken and damaged floor that was beyond repair; it had to be entirely replaced.

It was this experience that came to mind when I read what was written and collected into the book of Proverbs thousands of years ago:

Smooth words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
Proverbs 26:23 NLT

Today, I could rewrite this ancient piece of wisdom to say:

“Smooth words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a smooth epoxy covers a cracked and splitting floor.”

What was true in my garage is true in my heart.

Under pressure

One of my favorite songs from the 80s is the Queen and David Bowie colab, “Under Pressure.” I was initially hooked by the music — a kind of rock and dance mix that was just finding its footing in 1981. But just as compelling as the baseline is the soulful lyrics. The first verse starts with:

Pressure pushin' down on me
Pressin' down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that brings a building down
Splits a family in two, puts people on streets

The first two lines of the chorus say:

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out"

That’s an intense set of lyrics for a song that inspired Vanilla Ice to write the hit song “Ice, Ice Baby.”

Freshman BBall

A memorable high school lesson came from my freshman basketball coach, Mr. Beck, who drilled into us that the true state of our hearts would be exposed when times were difficult and under pressure. It was easy to say and do the right things when everything was smooth sailing. Until the pressure came, smooth words could hide the actual state of my heart.

As followers of Jesus, we should display a transformed heart as righteous and upright when put under pressure.

This heart transformation can happen instantly, but it typically comes over time by intentionally building character. If you see yourself struggling with a heart exposed as more ugly than you’d like when put under pressure (which is all of us, I imagine), here are three ways to build and reinforce your character.

1. Surrender

The thing that keeps me from being who God wants me to be is me. I hold myself back more than anyone or anything else. I have a surrender problem because I want to hold onto everything I still love about my “old” way of life. This, of course, is antithetical to the gospel, the Jesus’ way of living.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” -Matthew 16:24 NLT

The Apostle Paul wrote something similar in the Book of Romans:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:1-2 ESV

This is no easy task. It’s a daily decision to lay down the things that I try to put in front of God — money, sex, relationships, fame, success, etc, etc, etc.

Ironically, it is pressure that exposes areas I have not surrendered. Let me give you an example:

When it's a busy season at home or work, I compare my work to others around me. Inevitably, because of the season, I will be working longer or more intensely, so I’ll begin to think more poorly of these other people—coworkers and family members who I know are faithful and committed to their responsibilities. The pressure of life exposes ugly and sinful pride in my heart.

In that moment, I must surrender these thoughts to God and ask for forgiveness. I remember all my friends and family have done in their busy seasons, and I thank God for their contribution to my life, church, and world.

What do you need to surrender today?

2. Self-Worth

Knowing we need to surrender can confuse and lead us to believe we have less worth than how God sees us. Jesus subtly spoke to this when confronted by the Pharisees. He was asked which of the Old Testament commandments were the greatest, and he famously responded:

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” -Matthew 22:37-39 NLT

First and foremost, Jesus calls us to surrender to God, leading us to care for one another. However, the key phrase to valuing ourselves is “…as yourself.” How can you care for your neighbor without loving yourself? This is a delicate balance, but one that we need to find to build a character that won’t crack under pressure.

In my above example of thinking less of other people when I am under the stress of a busy schedule, part of the cause is forgetting the purpose for which God has created me. In those moments of tension, one of two things happens: Either I undervalue the gifts, talents, and purposes God has instilled in me, or I operate outside those gifts, talents, and purposes. Neither is loving or caring for myself.

At our church, we offer a three-part class for new members. In the last class, we give a short test to determine their spiritual gifts.¹ My top two gifts are administration/leadership and teaching. Way down my list of gifts is mercy/compassion. Ironically, as a pastor, I must operate in these gifts often throughout my week.

I’ve found that I am more quickly depleted when operating outside my natural gifts or purpose. When this happens, self-worth or self-care means finding space and time to refresh and recharge.

How do you need to show yourself care today?

3. Core Values

You may struggle under pressure because you may not know or hold to the values you hold most dear. These are your core values.

Core values answer the why question: Why do you do what you do? Why do you believe what you believe? In the New Testament, Peter tells us we need to be prepared to explain why we are different from those around us and why we have hope.² When we are under pressure, these core values are exposed in our hearts.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah shares the values that matter most to God:

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8 ESV

Justice. Kindness. Humility.

The key is balancing all three equally. I already told you I struggle with pride in moments of stress. I elevate justice over kindness and justice. I believe justice is them sharing in my pain. I may try to be kind, but my kindness will be with an edge and cut. What I lack is humility.

Have you defined your core values?

Now, Put It Into Practice

Working on surrender, self-worth, and core values will put you on a path of building and fortifying your character, but it’s not enough to work on it. You must also regularly test your character.

Scripture tells us God will test us,³ but we can also test ourselves. I encourage you to put yourself in challenging and demanding situations. Where do you see your character crack?

This self-evaluation will show you where you can grow. We can all grow because none of us have arrived. Put your work into practice.

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1. These are the natural gifts from God that we use to minister and care for those around us. These are mentioned in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and 1 Peter 4.

2. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. -1 Peter 3:15 NLT

3. 1 Corinthians 10:13-16; Genesis 22; Job 23; Jeremiah 17 among others