Heart Gazing

"This ole boy...he ain't what he used to be!"  Ha!  That little catch phrase has monopolized my mind and my heart on more than one occasion lately.  Just this last month, I turned another year older.  As with any birthday, it made me think of the days gone by...when I was young, when I had not a care in the world; and, of course, when I was in shape.  Without going into detail, let us just say that this ole boy ain't what he used to be.

Unfortunately we live in a time where everyone, most of the time, is judged by their outer appearance.  In our world, we are only as good as we look.  Our looks make us popular...our looks make us likable...our looks make us marketable.  Things haven't changed all that much.

In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel has gone to meet Jesse and his sons so that he can anoint the one who is going to replace Saul as king over Israel.  Jesse parades his sons in front of Samuel one by one.  Samuel, like many in our world today, falls prey to judging these young men based on their appearance.  As soon as he laid his eyes on Eliab, he just knew (based on what he "saw") that this young man had to be the Lord's anointed.  The Lord's response to Samuel should strike a chord deep within each and every one of us...

"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)

Be honest with yourself for just a moment!  Have you ever been guilty of judging someone by their appearance?  I think we all have.  All of us, at some point or another, have decided that someone was not worth our time, our money, and/or our energy, because they simply did not look like they could be trusted.  To all of us the Lord would say, "Be careful!  Do not look at the outward appearance, look into the heart."  We should all challenge ourselves to give people a fighting chance.  Before we too quickly dismiss them, we should get to know them...we should get to know their heart.  The thing that scares me...I wonder how many truly great people I have missed out on knowing because I judged them too quickly!

Lord, forgive me for judging others.  Give me the eyes to see people as you see them.  Give me the patience to let them in, and the strength to invest in them.