Looks Aren’t Everything
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
I remember when I left Richmond and went to college, I was enamored by all of the appearance of affluence that I saw in the lives of some who came to school in the Atlanta University Center. I was so captivated by the beautiful girls, with their nice clothes and fancy cars. The guys on campus with their charisma, knowledge, and refinement were the envy on the yard.
In the midst of taking all of that in, I will never forget the counsel of one of the girls from my church. She could tell I had my eye on one particular woman at school, and so she said to me one Friday afternoon as we were strolling through campus, “Delman, watch out for the cosmetics.”
In other words, she was saying don’t get so enamored with the way someone looks on the outside that you disregard how they are on the inside.
So many of us are guilty of making this mistake. We either overlook someone with great character based on their outward appearance. Or we overlook someone’s poor character based on their outward appearance. Either way, we’re making a mistake, because we’re placing too much of an emphasis on the way someone looks rather than the condition of their heart.
We would all be wise to follow the Lord’s lead in this area and be more concerned with someone’s heart and character rather than how attractive they may be by the world standards. You never know what or who you could be missing out on if you don’t take the time to get to know someone for what’s on the inside.
I remember when I left Richmond and went to college, I was enamored by all of the appearance of affluence that I saw in the lives of some who came to school in the Atlanta University Center. I was so captivated by the beautiful girls, with their nice clothes and fancy cars. The guys on campus with their charisma, knowledge, and refinement were the envy on the yard.
In the midst of taking all of that in, I will never forget the counsel of one of the girls from my church. She could tell I had my eye on one particular woman at school, and so she said to me one Friday afternoon as we were strolling through campus, “Delman, watch out for the cosmetics.”
In other words, she was saying don’t get so enamored with the way someone looks on the outside that you disregard how they are on the inside.
So many of us are guilty of making this mistake. We either overlook someone with great character based on their outward appearance. Or we overlook someone’s poor character based on their outward appearance. Either way, we’re making a mistake, because we’re placing too much of an emphasis on the way someone looks rather than the condition of their heart.
We would all be wise to follow the Lord’s lead in this area and be more concerned with someone’s heart and character rather than how attractive they may be by the world standards. You never know what or who you could be missing out on if you don’t take the time to get to know someone for what’s on the inside.
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