you don't look so good

Read I Samuel 16 and Romans 2

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart. I Samuel 16:6

I told one of the new ladies that I work with, “I’m amazed you’re 65. You look much younger,” She agreed she looked young for her age—which is good when you are 65.

“So, I suppose you are amazed that I am 59,” I said to her.

“No, not at all,” she said. “But you do look healthy.”

Which I appreciated hearing. I am healthy. But it seems to me that 59 is pretty old to look like.

I had a good friend who was in an intense training program with about twenty other students. At the end of the program they each had to show competency and my friend was the only one of the twenty who had to redo one of the practicums. He said the other students were very nice to him, but he was so humiliated. When they all went out to eat to celebrate the end of their program, my friend could not bear to go out with them despite having finally passed everything.  

“I wonder if they even gave my failure a second thought,” said my friend. “But here I was so concerned about what they thought about me.”

We knew a young man who had a small pimple on his nose. He held both his hands in front of his nose wherever he went so nobody would see his pimple. But, of course, we all saw this kid walking around with two hands in front of his nose.

It is true the people tend to be critical, or to be impressed with the externals. Just as the prophet Samuel was impressed with David’s big brothers, so we also are impressed by things that give no true indication of what that person is.

But some of the things we are so concerned about because of what our friends might think, mean nothing at all to them.

I am still so humiliated because I lost my job. And I am still mortified that I might lose my new job. Our friends have been so understanding to me during this time. And the Lord has been very gracious. We have seen the His hand in several specific things that have happened, and my trust in Him has deepened.

So why my continued feelings of humiliation?--because I’m so concerned about what people might think.

David’s big brothers did not have much respect for him. But their lack of respect did not matter at all. David was who he was. Samuel was very impressed with David’s brothers. But again, his first impression did not matter at all, for God had chosen David to be His anointed one.

What matters is what the Lord thinks of a person, and there are two very nice reasons for this: The first is that the Lord is kind and merciful and He remembers we are but dust. We fail, but He saves and redeems. The second is that the Lord sees through all the husks that others may see when they look at us. He sees us exactly as we are, and amazing, amazing, He sees us as His beloved. Rom 9:25 That means He likes us!