Saturday, June 7, 2014

Beauty

Beauty. What do you think of when you think of that word? I guess the first thing that comes to my mind would have to be... Looks. 
In our culture today, people are put under pressure. Pressure to look good. But we've taken it too far. We spend way too much time and energy trying to make sure we look "good enough". But is that what really matters?

When I think of this issue in our culture, I am reminded of this passage:
1 Samuel 16: 6-7 (ESV)
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Samuel was told to go anoint the future king of Israel. And look what he does- He looks and sees the outward appearance of Eliab and is quick to think that he is the one just because of his outward appearance. God saw Eliab's heart and knew he wasn't the right one. Samuel couldn't see his heart- what was inside.

I believe our culture does just this. They see a person and judge them by their outward appearance. Although we can not obviously see what God sees, we shouldn't be quick to judge a person by their looks or put pressure on them to look good. We should look at who they really are in the inside and encourage them to be more and more like Jesus Christ.

Don't worry about what people think about your outward appearance. Yes, it is nice to look nice on the outside. But we should spend much more of our time and energy trying to have a heart like Jesus and letting Him work in our lives. That is all that really matters.