“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” — Colossians 3:23
In the book I’m writing, Jesus the Businessman, there’s this moment where the Joseph and Son carpentry workshop runs out of cupboard polish. The apprentices—lads with good hearts but slightly slippery ethics—suggest using a leftover, cheap lacquer for the inside of the cupboard. After all, who opens a cupboard to admire the interior sheen?
“We’ll save money!” they chirp.
“No one will notice!” they assure.
Jesus, doesn’t raise his voice. He simply says, “But we’ll know.”
A line so gentle, it could float away. But so weighty, it could anchor a ship.
And that’s what got me thinking: how many of us polish only what people will see?
The outside. The résumé. The Facebook feed. The LinkedIn profile. The new kurta on Diwali and the forced smile at weddings. The cupboard doors of our lives are gleaming. But open them up—and what’s inside?
A cheap lacquer of shortcuts.
A corner cut with the excuse: “No one will notice.”
An integrity patched with the words: “Everyone does it.”
I know builders who line the exteriors with granite but use second-grade cement inside. Preachers who preach on love and forgiveness but don’t speak to their brothers and sisters. Political leaders who speak of women equality but who have deserted their wives.
Polish on the outside, nothing on the inside.
But back to the carpenter’s workshop.
Jesus insists they spend the last of their money on the same polish for the inside. Why? Because to Him, the unseen was not a space to be lazy. It was sacred. To Him, excellence wasn’t crowd-pleasing—it was conviction.
The insides of the cupboard may never be looked at closely.
No one may admire the polish.
But the hands that built it would know.
And that was enough.
In a world obsessed with “optics,” Jesus reminds us that character is built in the invisible. That the shine on the outside only matters if it reflects the honesty within.
And frankly, if I had a rupee for every time someone told me, “Bob, no one will know,” I’d be living in a cupboard made entirely of gold leaf.
But here’s the punchline: God sees the inside. He always has.
So today, when you’re tempted to skip a step, fudge a figure, inflate a quote, or smile when your heart’s scowling—remember, the inside matters.
Because someday, someone will open your cupboard.
And when they do, I hope they see a polish that speaks of truth, conviction, and a craftsman who did it not for applause, but because it was the right thing to do.
And in case you’re wondering about my story, yes—they bought the polish.
And no—the customer never opened the cupboard.
But the craftsmen of Joseph and Son slept like babies that night.
Because the inside was shining…!