God's Mirror

 

"Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees for man looks at the outward appearance but the LORD looks at the heart." 

- 1 Samuel 16:7

It is fairly easy for one to apply this truth when talking about assessing others. Many keep these words in mind when considering someone as a friend, a leader, or as a spouse. But how many of us remember this when we evaluate ourselves? For do not many of us arrange our outward appearance in a flawless fashion? Spend a good deal of time, primping in front of the mirror, sometimes unknowingly telling ourselves how beautiful we are. I say unknowingly, for some do not really say it to their reflection yet rather feel a certain deep and even proud satisfaction with what is seen.

There is a young woman I know who admitted that as a young girl, the mirror made her struggle. She often stood in front of a full-length mirror, admiring herself from every angle, flipping her hair, practicing her smile. Then she would go out into the world, her heart bursting with pride that she was indeed a beautiful creature. How sad that she often spent more time with a comb and a lipstick than with her Bible and pen! She had forgotten that God looks not at the outward appearance. He looks at the heart. If only she had known that which each minute she spent, admiring her own reflection, she was becoming uglier and uglier in the sight of God. She may have be a gorgeous queen in the eyes of the world, but in God's mirror, she had become a hideous beast. Thankfully, the young girl was convicted of her seemingly harmless sin, and now has Bible verses covering her mirror, to remind her of what really mattered before God.

Yet we must also keep in mind that it is not evil to be beautiful, for Queen Esther herself was praised for her beauty. Yet we shout take note that she did not treasure her beauty as if it were the most important thing for her. She knew that her beauty did not matter to God. Only her heart did.