I Samuel 16:7 (KJV) says "But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." In Chapter 16 of I Samuel the Lord is with Samuel as he goes to meet the sons of Jesse, one of which the Lord will choose to have Samuel annoint King of Israel in place of Saul. As the sons of Jesse are brought before Samuel, he looks at their outward appearance and physical stature, and the Lord points out to him that he is focused on the wrong things, as the Lord will make his selection based on the heart of the man.
In a perfect world everyone would look at others the way the Lord does, but most look only on what they can see with their eyes. Unfortunately, some people have no interest in getting to know someone unless they find them physically attractive, or hold them in high regard for another shallow, earthly reason. There are things in life of far greater value than these, and we would be wise to follow the Lord's example in the above scripture, and look on those things. We should consider traits like honesty, loyalty, kindness, gentleness, meekness, humility, being trustworthy, considerate, and loving to be great assets for a human being to possess. We should desire the company of those who possess them. in our lives. This is not the norm however, and yet we wonder why we are disappointed with some of the relationships we form. Take time to consider that the reason you're disappointed in someone might be because you chose them to be a part of your life based on a shallow attribute, and never really took the time to know who they were as a person.
Beauty is a wonderful thing, and I think beautiful people are great. The thing is all of God's children are beautiful, and when we narrow the definition of beauty to include outward appearance only it's a mistake on many levels. We miss out on relationships with some great people, and most often we pay for our shallow choices with large doses of disappointment. When you form relationships with others, make sure they are beautiful on the inside, when you find they are, your eyes will be open to their outward beauty.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, please leave me a message, and I will be happy to do so. May God bless you.
I often say that when people choose not to get to know some of the special needs individuals I have worked with, because of their disabilities, they are missing out on knowing some amazing people. Great post!!
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more, and I feel confident that God does too!
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