The white coat syndrome

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Eliab is tall and handsome, but don’t judge by things like that. God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. Eliab is not the right man.” (I Samuel 16:7)

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself. (Wayne Dyer)

We can make some pretty false claims about others simply because we only see the 'message' they deliver on the outside. We can lift a man higher than he should be just because he 'plays the part' we expect based upon the 'role' he plays in life. Case in point - I observed almost every male nurse who wore a white coat over his work scrubs into a patient's room was asked if he was the doctor. The 'impression' of the white coat made the patient think the 'role' the male nurse was actually that of their physician. We can never judge someone by their appearance - there is always something much deeper that we must see - their spirit.

The heart of man is made known to those who are willing to look deeper than the 'first impression' of the outer presentation. A well-spoken orator may be the loneliest of individuals, hiding it well behind his speech. A well-dressed businesswoman may be struggling with a hidden addiction behind that well-coiffed exterior. A well-developed body doesn't always make for a sound mind, does it? The outside is easy to see, while the 'interior' of a man's heart is much harder to 'register' on our 'judgment radar'. We must get to know them a bit before we really understand what is hidden deep within their heart.

God's view of man is always the heart first - the outer impression matters very little to him. His view of our life's accomplishments goes beyond the degrees, promotions, awards, or duties performed. It goes to the things hidden within our heart. Do we view God's heart first - or do we look only at the outward things we can see and interpret with our mind's eye about who he is and what he does? Get to know his heart and you might find your own heart changing for the better. The inner workings of his heart are not always evident by the actions we see around us, but we can trust that his deep love and unyielding holiness will never be content to allow sin to dwell within our hearts. Just sayin!