Читать книгу When Hearts Heal - Linda K. Estes - Страница 5

1…INNER BEAUTY

Good morning! We’ve all heard that it’s the first impression that counts when meeting someone new. Since we’ve heard that so much growing up, we typically will just accept that as being right. The problem with this is that our first impressions are only looking at things on the outside. Things like their physical appearance and smile, or lack of it. I was thinking about this when I read 1 Samuel 16:7. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” God is a reader of the heart and for that I am very thankful. It’s what’s on the inside that God cares about.

Have you ever been wrongly judged because people made decisions about you without taking the time to know what’s in your heart? It’s hurtful, isn’t it? Even people who have known you for many years still might not know what’s in your heart because they haven’t given you the time it takes to discover that. It’s sad, but even without that information, they still make judgements about you.

We should look for inner beauty because that’s what God does. In Matthew 7:20, Jesus tells us what we are to look for. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.” The fruits that Jesus is talking about are found in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” These are the things that God values and these same fruits will tell you about a person’s inner beauty. That beauty found in their heart matters to God, and it should matter to us, too. So here’s to looking at others through our Father’s loving eyes.

Heavenly Father, please help us to see others as You see them and may our fruits shine forth for others to see. Amen.