Thoughts Along the Way©
Elaine Mehn
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7b
Riding a city bus can be boring or entertaining depending on my mood and the people who come and go. The other day we were stopped by the bus stop where there was a girl waiting for a bus. She was wearing a bright green skin tight t-shirt dress, bright blue leggings also skin tight, black footy socks, bright yellow heals, a string of large pink beads, and a white hoody. It made me wonder how long it took her to choose that outfit. My guess is that contrary to how it appeared, she had spent a considerable amount of time deciding on just what to wear for her trip to the city. I will admit that I am not 20’s something and my fashion sense is not the same but ….
We work hard to physically “look good”. But like this girl waiting for a bus, we don’t always recognize that we have failed to impress those we want so desperately to like and approve us. We don’t stop with just our physical appearance in our efforts to win people to liking us. We outwardly adjust our attitude when we are around certain people or groups of people so that we seem to fit in. How often have we heard a joke that is really not appropriate and even though we are shocked or offended, we force a smile so that those around will think we are part of the group? We pretend to be someone or something that we are not.
Perhaps the saddest and most harmful way this desire to impress shows its ugly “mismatched” head is when we try to “look spiritual” before others and before God. The problem is that we don’t realize that all our efforts are “mismatched”, ugly and offensive. It is easy for me to recognize this when other people do it. They come across as spiritual know-it-alls, or arrogant, or false. My problem is not that I see it in others but that I don’t see it in me even though it is bright green and blue and pink with heals and a hoody. My spiritual pride in my own efforts is unattractive to others and offensive to God.
God sent His only Son to die a horrible death on a cross so that I would not only have my sins forgiven and washed white as snow but so that I could know and live in faith in the rightness of Christ. That means that I give up my self-effort and live by God-effort. God loves me but He is not impressed with me. He is impressed with His Son and through the Son living in me He is then impressed with and blesses my life and ministry.
Prayer: Father, it continues to amaze me how easily I choose my own way and my own effort rather than Yours. To let go of my “right” to choose feels like death and yet I know that through it is real life that is abundant. I don’t have to wait until I get to Heaven to know the joy of abundant living and knowing Your smile. Open my eyes to see the difference between wearing my own spiritual rags and wearing the pure white robes of Jesus.