From inside out

I was from an exam room a few weeks ago and I had to travel to a visit friends in different town. I was so hungry but It was clear that I would not manage to make a meal for myself because it was getting late. I decided to get into a restaurant and get something for myself. Since I was not very familiar with that town that I was in, I decided to walk around in order to find a nice place where I would get some food. While walking around, I came across a very beautiful restaurant and decided to walk in. I was caught by surprise when I got in. Everything had looked great and beautiful from outside (the decorations, the fish aquarium, colors etc) but the inside was dirty, shabby and messy. I was not able to eat from there; because I could not stand all the mess and the dirt that was in that place.

On my way out, it reminded me of the story of David in the book of 1 Samuel. When God rejected Saul and sent Samuel to go and anoint someone to be king from the house of Jesse, Samuel was so impressed by Eliab. The bible indicates that God asked Samuel not to consider appearance and his height. To have impressed Samuel so much that Samuel saw him as the person to anoint, I believe that he must have been so good looking according to the human eye. However, the bible says that God told Samuel that He never looks at the appearance but at the heart of man. Somehow I believe that the reason why God doesn’t consider the outward appearance is because to Him, we all look alike; like Him because we are a representation of Him. There is no ugly and no beautiful (my opinion). With this similarity therefore, the appearance of a person would be a poor judge or a method of telling who one really is.

God therefore went for the heart of David, and to arrive at him, Samuel had to go through all the sons of Jesse until the right man was found. This is a common story but I believe it needs to be emphasized because so many times we use the wrong things to determine who we are or who others are. God is so concerned about the heart of man than all other things. The bible in the book of proverbs 31:30 says that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. I have always wondered why after a whole chapter of discussing what a capable wife is, these words marks the end of this great teaching. However, I have come to realize that without the fear of God and the true inner beauty of the heart, it is useless to have all the other characteristics discussed above.

It is not a wonder that God says that it’s not jewelry or beautiful clothes or the works of charity or even serving in a ministry that matters to Him. What He considers of great value to Him is an inner and unfading beauty of a gentle and a quiet spirit. When the word talks about us guarding our hearts, it is because the writer knows that the heart can be so wicked yet that is what God looks at in judging our character. It is of great important that we pay attention to the states of our hearts because it determines our character.

What you allow your heart to have is what you become. When God through His word says that we should guard our hearts, it is because He knows that He has given us the ability to determine the state of our hearts. A good way to explain this is when for example a hint of envy creeps into us. This can result from one thing or another. If we choose to harbor it in our hearts, it turns into jealousy and when it is held for a long time, it can lead to murder whether physically or in our hearts. That way, we become jealous and murders, that becomes our character and so when God looks down on us, He sees murders instead of lovers of people.

Outer beauty (although it depends on the eyes of the beholder) and appearance are wonderful. However, they are of no use if the inner is rotten. The dirt and mess inside; just like in the case of the restaurant; causes the outside to look bad and makes it difficult for those desiring to be inside us (the Holy Spirit) unable to remain inside.
Keep growing!