When you look in the mirror each morning, what do you see? Well, what I see when I look in the mirror depends on how well I slept, or maybe find a pesky pop up pimple again or, hey, is that more gray hair? Where did that come from? And sure enough, we always seem to look for ways to cover it up, you know what I mean!
But, seriously, when we look in the mirror, doesn't it determine how we see ourselves.? Not only on the outside but also on the inside. Shouldn't I be asking myself if what I see is really how the Lord sees me?
There is a Scripture in 1 Samuel 16:7 that says, "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."" (ESV).
Now I don't think the LORD was talking about king Saul being vertically challenged (in the tall sense) but instead if he would be obedient to what the prophet Samuel told him to do. This king was chosen by the people for his outward appearance because the people thought he looked like a king but the Lord saw the disobedience lying in his heart. This is getting pretty real here.
I am not writing to preach a sermon about the Messianic kingdom. Many of you already know this verse and the story. What I do want to say is I have repeated this verse (God looks at the heart) many times to my (yikes, stiff-necked) self in the past when I did or said something I shouldn't have done to cover it up. I have even mentioned it to others and tried to make them feel better by saying, "but God knows your heart!". If we're not careful, we can use Scripture as a bandaid, instead of really picking up that ol' mirror and looking at our own heart and let true motives and objectives be revealed. It's not easy sometimes to see ourselves as the Lord sees us. And who wants to be rejected, anyway? That preconceived notion we carry in the back of our minds that tells us we are somehow okay before God but never truly dealing with our own internal issues. We all have weaknesses and the Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 12:10, "He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you" (ESV). This is a powerful statement because the Creator sees our hearts truthfully, clearly, and unobstructed. Only He knows what it takes to create in us a pure heart.
So why are we so good at changing our outward appearance like hair color, buying the latest cosmetic to cover and dare I say erase those unwanted areas? We go to great lengths and expense to try the latest trend. Well, to be truthful does any of it ever really work? No. The most important area we could ever allow the Lord to work on is our inward part, our heart, our mind, our soul. Of course, we would have to give up our control, and be willing to yield under His hot, cleansing pressure. That can be messy but so worth it! It is life to us!
Again, the Lord is so much smarter than we are. I believe He wants us to focus on who we are in Him on the inside. You know the word, it's called character. It's an over-used word that somehow has begun to de-sensitive us into deceiving ourselves that we are okay just because we do this or that. Well, I will admit I am not okay. I am still trying to learn a life-long objective: to be cleaner on the inside than on the outside. My goal is to possess a heart so pure, that I can see God, to reflect His goodness in the land of the living, and to be a woman after His heart. That is my only objective. The coolest thing is this part is easy and hard, I only have to yield up my heart to Him and turn away (repent) from the evil inclination - for God is faithful to perform the hard part, the surgery. After all, His yoke is easy and His burden is light, right? (smiling).
Also, it takes discipline to be in His Word every day. I try, most days I am, but I stumble too. It takes diligence and His Spirit working in me to be faithful and to learn to rightfully divide that Word in order to apply it to my daily life. As my late brother said, "In the book of James, you don't have to dig, there are golden nuggets just laying there in the open!" So true, and we can pick them up and take them to heart, or we can put them on a shelf to display them, or be willing to be the display and reflect them to others!
The Holy Scriptures lay out the foundation of right living. It sets our feet on the path of Life. Those Scriptures are called the Torah, (first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). They go into great detail of how to live a life that is beneficial to us; key word: Repentance. Yes, the Lord, our Living Torah, is into the very smallest detail of how we live out our days. Ever patiently waiting, like the perfect parent watching His child grow up.
Lastly, reading His Word is important because therein lies the path to His blessings. It puts a fence of protection around us. Like sheep living in a pasture protected by the Shepherd of our souls. And yes, He also sees what kind of heart we have. Just because they are called sheep does not mean they lose their identity. They are like-minded, you know, like kind, producing after itself? So it is with people who belong to Him. I am pretty sure you know all this, but I am reminding myself how to look in the mirror and remember that He sees me as a "King's kid", as my mom used to say. That always reminds me to lift up my head and remember that He has given me a body to take care, a family to grow up in, and to trust that He will light my path of Life. My goal is to reflect Him always, how about you?
.
No comments:
Post a Comment