I Samuel 16:7 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.”
Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.
Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
One day last year, my grandson, Jude, was excitingly changing clothes to get into the hot tub for the first time. When it was time to get dressed again, he brought me his shirt which was inside out and asked me to turn his shirt “outside in,” and then next, his shorts were in the same condition. He asked that I turn them outside in also. He actually meant outside out, but I suppose outside in is the opposite of inside out. Lol
At any rate, this got me to thinking about our outward appearance verses our inward hearts. On the outside, we may look beautiful and put together, but our hearts may be broken and falling apart. Or on the contrary, we may look a hot mess on the outside, but on the inside, all is well. I learned a long time ago that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
God doesn’t judge us based on our appearance either, thankfully. God sees our hearts! We can fake it to make it in life, but we can’t fake it with God. He sees past the outward appearance, the nice clothes, shiny jewelry, and makeup. He sees what we are made of not how we’re made up. You can’t fake christianity. You can try, but you won’t succeed.
Have you ever been to visit a older friend or family member? Their house may look totally dilapidated and worn out. Paint may be flaking off of the house. Maybe a few boards are loose, and the old tin roof is totally rusted. The house looks a mess, but then you step inside. The home is as neat as a pin. It’s beautifully decorated and adorned with photos of loved ones. You can see how much care was placed in the decor. When you are standing on the outside looking in, you see the home in a completely different light.
That, my friends, is how God sees us. The world sees the mess of our outer shell, but God KNOWS our hearts. He knows everything that is going on, and He knows right where we are right now. He knows what we need before we even know. He’s right there beside us to see is through any and every situation.
I’m so thankful this dilapidated body of mine is just a temporary home. Yep, it’s falling apart. The fingers are getting knotty with arthritis. I move a little slower at times. My body definitely tells me that it’s not as young as I think it is! But that’s okay. I know that my heart and soul belong to Jesus, and I can rejoice in that. I’m still a work in progress. I work on the inside every single day. I want God to know that when he looks at me from the outside in, that I am truly His and He is mine! My heart belongs to Jesus!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 