Inside or Outside?

1 Samuel 16:7  (NASB)

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.”

I was reading a post from a friend this morning and she was discussing 1 Samuel. When I got to verse 7, I thought.. “Whoa! How often do we do this?” All. The. Time.  Be honest with yourself.. do you quickly judge someone by their appearance? Or do you wait until you get to know them? I’m right there with you if you said you judge by appearance. I am so guilty of it, and it is a constant battle for me.

There is a guy I met recently and I looked at him and thought, “wow, he is SUCH a dork.” Well, as I have gotten to know him a little better and talked to him more, he has a wicked sense of humor and is very nice. Perhaps I should not have been so quick to judge him on his appearance?

I wish I saw people the way God sees them. He looks at their heart, and not at their outward appearance. How many hours a week do you put into your outward appearance, perhaps to impress that guy or gal you might like? How many hours do you put into your inner character, the one God sees? Do you see the difference? I do, in my own life.

People say they can only date or marry someone who is attractive. Well, by what or whose standards are you judging “attractive” on? Are you looking with your eyes or with your heart? I’ve found that some of the best looking men get uglier as I get to know them better.. because their inner character isn’t very attractive. And some of the men I wouldn’t give a second glance initially get better looking the longer I know them. It’s because their inner character is so very attractive, and they know what counts.

How do you judge attractiveness?