Just a closer look

Look in the mirror. What do you see? Today you may see a new blemish on your cheek, a little puffiness under your eyes, or a few wayward gray hairs that seem to have a mind of their own. Look a little bit longer and you may realize you need to pluck a few hairs, deep clean a few pores, or see the dentist for a teeth cleaning. We 'see' what we want to see, don't we? There are days when I look in the mirror and just give myself a cursory glance. It is like a really quick once over to just make sure all the hair is down, there isn't anything dribbled down the front of my shirt, or that the outfit doesn't make me look too heavy. Other days I find that chin hair that sprung up out of nowhere, or noticing for the first time how tired I look after a particularly grueling set of circumstances have taken their toil on my body. We see what we want to see so many times, but at others we can see things we probably didn't want to see. God sees both - the things we want him to see and the things wee need to see, but may not be really wanting to see.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at the way he looks on the outside or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. For the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. A man looks at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7)

Man looks on the outside and is content to have made that 'cursory look'. The things hidden deep inside a man's heart are oftentimes completely bypassed because there has been nothing more than a cursory look. I know for a fact I have made wrong choices in relationships because I did little more than trust what I saw on the outside to be the exact representation of what would be on the inside! To merely stop at a cursory view of what makes up a man or woman's character is not sufficient to determine the 'make-up' of that individual. I am so thankful God doesn't merely judge by what is on the outside because we can 'make-up' the outside a whole lot better than we can 'make-up' the inside! Mankind has been in the practice of trying to hide their true selves since the beginning of time, so does it surprise you that we are still doing it today? 

God looks at the heart because that reveals the integrity of a man or woman. The 'soundness' of moral character is one thing we cannot 'make-up' for very long. Eventually the true character of a man or woman will surface - given enough time and the right set of pressures, the thing we put forward will eventually crumble under the trial. God looks at the 'wholeness' of a man or woman - the 'wholeness' of a heart is determined by who controls the heart. The heart controlled by a self-willed, stubborn man or woman will be hard and calloused. Much like the hard shell of the turtle conceals the soft and vulnerable places of the inner turtle, the callouses on the heart can conceal what we want no one to really know about us.

What is it we are trying to conceal - to not really allow anyone, even ourselves, to see? Perhaps this is the real question we need to answer if we are to finally see a true representation of the integrity of our hearts. Without Christ, our hearts are never wholly free of those calloused places - those impenetrably hard places. The moment Christ gains access to those places, it soon becomes evident where there is a lack of integrity - a lack of wholeness in any of the places where we have misrepresented ourselves spiritually, morally, or emotionally. Maybe this is why we only want to look on the outside of a man or woman - because we are afraid of what we may discover if we look closer. God isn't put off by the 'closer look' - in fact, he desires it! Just sayin!

Do you feel it?

I like to watch the cop shows and then try to figure out the "who done it" of the show. One of the things we see repeatedly in these shows is the cops questioning individuals who have witnessed the crimes - they want to capture as accurate of a description of the suspect as possible. Have you ever been asked to describe God - to give an accurate description of who he is? It is harder than you might think! We take a deep breath, then launch out into some kind of lengthy explanation of what God does, how he moves among us, what he has created, but these are his actions, not necessarily a description of HIM. All the while we are describing his actions, we are really struggling with getting anything "concrete" in our answer of who we know him to be in our lives. Try it! It is hard! David had a really good way of describing God - simple and to the point - light, space, and zest!

Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. (Psalm 27:1)

Three simple words, but pretty all-inclusive if you ask me! Light, space, and zest - what could he possibly have meant by using these words? He isn't just describing what God does or how he acts, but he is describing what God does within us and how he displays his character (who he is) through us. He displays himself through us as Light. This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5 NIV). In him we find all glory and majesty - light can be described as displaying the majesty of the one who possesses the light. No wonder scripture repeatedly refers to God as "light" - it is not something which is "in" him - he is the perfect and purest LIGHT. There is no darkness within him - he is holy and his holiness reflects in the purest of Light. That same holiness resides in us - giving us the purest of light within!

Ever think of God as Space? John 4:24 tells us God is "Spirit" - does a 'spirit' take up 'space' or create 'space'. Perhaps this is the best way for us to understand just how he can be everyone at one time - he transcends the limitations of human nature - he isn't limited by 'space' because he is the one who gives or creates the ultimate 'space' we see before us. He is above all, in all, and creator of all. As such, he is like "space". Unlimited, and with a greatness that is really, really hard to 'calculate'. Try as we might, we cannot "box" God in - he is not an equation - something we can sum up! He is infinite and our finite minds have a hard time with not understanding everything all at once! God creates space for all we need and he removes from our 'space' all that will hinder us and make us stumble in this life.

Zest is a little harder to understand because it kind of suggests action - he gives liveliness to all he animates - zest is liveliness or that which we describe as 'coming alive'. In him is the inherent ability to impart the truest form of energy - that which animates and gives abundant life to a lifeless soul! Sin robs us of this "animation" of spirit - God's touch and his presence in the space he has created within us that is specifically for his Spirit is what restores it! No wonder David stands so assured when he considers who is "on his side" in his daily walk! The purest of the pure - able to push back all darkness. The limitless one - powerful beyond our calculating. The one full of life - imparting life with each brush of his hand or passing of his breath over our lives! Afraid of no one and nothing! Why? We fear the dark - God's light exposes what is hidden. We fear the unknown - God's limitless supply is ours. We fear death - God's life is assured to those who choose him. Therefore, why fear?

The Lord is my light and the One Who saves me. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom should I be afraid? (New Life Version) Whenever we are afraid, we are filled with apprehension. When we describe ourselves as fearful, we are saying we are filled with a dread of the impending danger, evil, or pain we perceive. The Lord is MY light - the one who saves ME. Here is the "grip" we hold onto in the midst of impending doom - MY light, the one who saves ME. In the words of an old hymn: His eye may be on the sparrow, but he watches ME! He is a personal God - he walks WITH and WITHIN us. In his carefulness over us, light dispels darkness, perceptions are enlarged, and we are reanimated again! Just feeling the zest of God today!