What Do I See?

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.”

1 Samuel 16:7

As I sat in Sunday School, I heard my husband read this scripture. The words jumped out. I was guilty even as he spoke the words. And I’m one of the teachers.  

I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off one child — who seemed to be picking things out of her hair. She couldn’t possibly be listening, I thought. Although by the end of class, I was convinced that she was listening much more than I had been.

If I’m honest, I’ll have to admit that I look at appearances more than I’d like to think. 

Clothes. Shoes. Facebook. I get caught up in the visible world. Trying to fit in. Whatever that means at the moment.  

My husband had a dream one time where everyone was a zombie. When he woke up, he concluded that faces are only a distraction to our spirits. 

That was a new thought to him … and to me. Our physical bodies can just be a distraction to what’s inside. Behind every face, God sees the soul.

Lord, please forgive me for focusing only on the outside appearance. Please help me to see people like You see them. 

Stacy