Outward Appearances

Have you ever chosen a large, beautiful orange, expecting it to be full of sweet, juicy fruit? But, what you found beneath was dry and tasteless? What a disappointment after the taste buds were all primed.

I knew a petite, older woman, who by all outward appearances, looked like a sweet grandmotherly type. But, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The woman was a tough CEO of a large company and was mean enough to make the most macho kind of guy nervous.

Books with beautiful covers and interesting blurbs entice me to open the pages and read them. But, it’s true. You can’t tell a book by its cover. A great illustration can’t insure that the story or writing will be any good.

I've inherited books that are between fifty and sixty years old. Some covers are either dull shades of red or green, but most are a shade of plain brown. The stories they contain have taken me on wonderful adventures and held my attention since I was a child.

My husband and I work hard taking care of our home. There have been times when I’ve driven by a house that's falling apart on the outside and I wonder how the owner could care so little. You’ve seen them. Paint is peeling off the exterior and the yard is full of weeds and strewn pieces of junk. I remind myself that I don’t have a clue as to what the interior holds. It could be so full of love that a mansion couldn't contain it.

What is it about us humans that we’re so quick to judge by outward appearances? Oh, that’s right! We’re human.
Terrible flaw, but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse.

Thank God that He’s not concerned with the same things we are.

“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 16:7


Dawn