reblog(ging)

Rob Lind

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16.7

You have heard it said that “image is everything”. I guess this has importance to you if your perspective is governed by this principle (how man perceives things). This text tells us that man and God have a clearly opposite way of viewing things and “sizing up” a person.

Is this text saying that we don’t have the ability to perceive a little deeper into a person’s heart (his inner being if you will)? I believe the passage is saying that this is how we look at life, people, etc. We’re struck by first appearances, by the external. This context reminds me of a statement I have heard, “It is what it is.” First impressions, externals, etc. are what we gravitate to in our minds, what we focus our observations on, and what control our conclusions. If we choose to live in this way, then not only is our perception of life governed by externals, how we present ourselves to the world is also governed by externals. Issues of the heart in reality become non-issues. The sad reality of living this way is ultimately that we are left empty, confused and deceived.

Does a person’s inner man, his heart matter? The obvious conclusion is of course it does, but the real challenge is, does it matter enough to me for me to change how I see others and myself? Am I willing to allow God to “search my heart”, and am I willing to see people beyond what I externally see in front of me? This choice of seeing life how God sees it or how man sees it will inevitably permeate your whole person and life. Maybe, just maybe you could say, “The value of a person’s soul (and mine for that matter) is far more valuable to me then the value of the clothes he has on his back.”