Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart. (1 Samuel 16:7b
At the first night of VBS this week, the kids learned the
above verse that echoes (or perhaps gave birth to) the popular phrase, “don’t judge
a book by its cover.” This is one of
those life lessons that we hear so many times through the years that it almost
becomes lost in translation. We know
that a person’s true worth is found within, and yet we still have a hard time
looking past the exterior. This is
certainly true in our evaluations of others, but it’s also true in terms of how
we view ourselves. If we don’t look a
certain way – whether by the shape of our bodies or the clothes we throw on
them – then we tend to feel “lesser” than others. By contrast, when we happen to be sporting
the latest style, we feel pretty good about ourselves. The problem of course is that no amount of
style can enhance or mask what lives inside us, where cellulite and fashion
have no place.
Supposedly, human beings are hard-wired to be attracted to
features in others that would be considered “genetically strong,” such as
symmetry. The theory behind this is that
we are drawn to folks that have the best possible chance of promoting the
strongest/healthiest human traits going forward. I don’t know about that, but what I do know is
that God created us to love others as a direct reflection of His love. The last time I checked, such love has zero
physical stipulations attached to it; rather, it requires a heart for service
and a soul filled with the loving power of the Holy Spirit. Whether the scientists are accurate or not
doesn’t really matter in terms of the fate of humanity. Instead of searching for the physical traits
that promote strong genetics, we should instead seek out, lift up and “procreate”
the predisposition for love that we all possess.
Each of us has a story to tell that would perfectly
illustrate the importance of looking at the heart. Each of us has encountered someone with
less-than-desirable physical traits who is a genuinely loving, compassionate
person. More commonly than that,
perhaps, are stories we could tell of attractive, well-groomed folks whose
words and deeds reflected a rotting interior.
The trick is in being able to evaluate others the way God does, which we
could perhaps best do blindfolded.
Whenever I think of this particular lesson, I think of the
kiwi, that delightfully delicious tropical fruit with the vibrant green
interior. In terms of its flavor, it is
one of my most favorite fruits. But let’s
be honest – it is as ugly a thing to behold as you can find. If we judged the kiwi strictly by its outward
appearance, no one would ever touch it. Actually,
I’m amazed that at some point in human history, some curious and perhaps
famished soul decided to throw caution to the wind, crack one open and give it
a taste. Whoever this person was, he or
she was operating entirely on the faith that something better was within.
Maybe we’ll never be able to completely shirk off the
tendency to be attracted to outward beauty, but let’s not forget that when we bypass
someone who doesn’t fit our criteria for beauty, we might just be missing out
on a kiwi.
