Is there something in your outward appearance that you don’t like? Is there anything about your body that you would change if you were able? I would.
Photo: Tiago Bandeira, Unsplash
I’m short, and I’ve always been that way. I was constantly made fun of as a kid, and now as a five-foot-six-inch man today, I’m often viewed as “less than” or “unable” when it comes to typical male-dominated things like carrying heavy furniture or a casual game of tackle football. It’s always been a great source of pain for me, but what about you?
No doubt there is something about yourself that you don’t like or would change instantly if you could. Every person walking the planet can always name something about their body that they wish were different. If given the choice, we’d probably like to be a few pounds lighter, a couple inches taller, and multiple degrees more visually appealing. All of us want to be more physically attractive, and consequently wrestle with our appearance because we have a tendency to value outward beauty much more than we should.
This is why verses like 1 Samuel 16:7 are so important. It says at the end of this verse that, “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” How amazing that God’s economy of worth is so different than ours. What a gift of grace!
Once we really take hold of this truth that Scripture presents and learn to value the worth of our hearts more than our reflections in the mirror, our paradigm can shift and look on the greater importance within people. Character, integrity, love, and humility are the kinds of qualities that communicate beauty to the Lord, and in the end, his economy is the only economy that matters.
When we ascribe to the counter-cultural economy of God, we align ourselves with his heart for people.
He sees who we are on the inside, which is what makes the saving work of Jesus Christ all the more astounding. Christians are beautiful, clean, and righteous on the inside, not because of personal attempts to give our hearts a makeover, but because we have already been made over by the blood of our Savior.
When God sees our hearts, he sees his Son—and nothing is more beautiful than him.
For further study and encouragement: 1 Samuel 16:7, Jude 24-25
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