1 Samuel 16:6-7
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before theLord.” 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.”
Have you ever read The Fire Cat by Esther Averill? In the book, Pickles the cat is a “good and bad cat.” The naughty cat chases other cats around the yard, but Ms. Goodkind and Joe the fireman see potential in Pickles. They look at him and see something that even Pickles can’t see — a cat that was born to do great things.
In the above Bible passage, God could clearly see something in Eliab and (later) David that Samuel can’t see. Why? The passage spells it out clearly. The Lord looks at our heart.
Last week, I had the good pleasure of meeting a rising Christian artist, Lydia Walker. She sang her beautiful song called “Behind Your Eyes.” Lydia explained that the song was for a friend who had been struggling with comparing herself to the rest of the world and feeling as though she was not good enough. The message echos the theme of this blog – How Do I Measure Up? In the chorus she sings, “The mirror’s voice is full of lies. It can’t see the beauty behind your eyes.”
In the last few blogs, I’ve been writing about the Rich Young Ruler. It struck me today that he looks pretty good in the mirror, but when Jesus looked behind the Rich Young Ruler’s eyes He did not find a heart that was wholly God’s. The Rich Young Ruler’s mirror would have told a different type of lie, and his contemporaries probably saw something entirely different than God saw in him.
Dear Lord, help us understand that you do not look at the poor reflection of us in a mirror. We know that you look at our hearts, and we pray that you help us fill our hearts with things that are pure and holy and right. Regardless of what others think or the lies that the mirror speaks, please help us remember that we are beautiful to you as long as our hearts are devoted fully to you.