A few years ago, my husband and I finally decided to upgrade the heavy, bulky television in our family room with a high-definition, big-screen television. I will never forget how shocked we were when we sat down to view it for the first time. We were in awe of not only the dimensional image jumping off the screen, but the “raw humanity” of the actors and players. We saw freckles and wrinkles, sweat, nose hair, gray hair, and various other imperfections that had heretofore escaped the viewers’ eyes. Those “beautiful” people gracing our screen were not as perfect as we had initially perceived.
As God’s children, and particularly as women, we often spend a lot of time (and money) covering our imperfections so that they are not easily visible to others with whom we come in contact. I would dare say that if we knew we were going to be on HDTV, we would start hours ahead of schedule preparing our physical bodies. There would be a shower or bath to take, all manner of exfoliation to perform, then moisturizing. These activities would be followed with a bit of tweezing, snipping, powdering, and deodorizing. Then, of course, we would have locks and eyelashes to curl, eyebrows to comb, eyelids to dramatize and line, cheeks to “pinky-up,” and lips; let’s not forget about those luscious lips that would need to be lined, filled-in, and glossed. And, we would need just the right shade of lipstick to compliment our eyes and clothing. Finally, we would cover everything with hairspray, lotion, and fragrance, before heading to the bureau to scavenge for the perfect undergarments to “cinch everything up” and make us look 10 pounds lighter. Having the proper “foundation” for our designer outfit, shoes, and accessories is a must! After all of this time and effort, how would anyone dare tell us that their HDTV revealed a few of our “flaws!”
We laugh about it, yet there is a certain amount of truth to be confessed. We expend a lot of time on outward physical appearance, when as Christ-followers, our Heavenly Father looks inwardly upon the heart.
I Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Psalm 51:10 (NIV)
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)
“3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
My Personal Musings From God’s Word:
Since God is most concerned about the condition of our heart, let us allow Him to “dress” us daily with a pure heart and steadfast spirit, which is of great worth in His sight.. In doing so, we should allow His “high-definition” eyes to cover our “flaws” with the blood of Jesus Christ.
