Tag: John 7:24

Hidden Beauty~God Sees Our Inner Beauty

Not long ago my sister sent me some photos of flowers in her garden for me to paint. When I first saw this flower I was struck by the vibrant color and unique shape. Usually a flower’s beauty is seen immediately and not hidden.

Sometimes the uniqueness captures our curiosity causing us to pause and check it out. Isn’t it amazing how God will create something with a unique shape, a vibrant color, or both to capture our attention? When I see a flower like the first one above, that’s unique and different, I want to flip it upright to see underneath it. As I studied this hidden gem, I thought about how God sees our inner beauty. But what do we see? Do we see the outside of a person, their cloak that hides their true beauty? Or like God, do we see the inner beauty of a person? I’d like to say I always see the inner beauty of people but unfortunately that isn’t always the case.

Usually when I meet people, I’m friendly, non-judgmental, and accept them as they are. However, there have been times I’m sad to say when I’ve seen someone and judged them based on appearance. When I’ve had to ask for forgiveness because of my attitude. I think it’s called being jaded. When you’ve seen the uglier side of life, it can happen. You base your opinion on past experiences instead of the present. It can happen to anyone not just people who’ve seen the uglier side of life. Regardless, it’s inexcusable considering that we as God’s children aren’t supposed to be that way. Not anymore. Not when we are a new creature. When we’ve put away the old and put on the new. We are to have wisdom and discernment and sometimes, we’ll feel that nudge from the Lord cautioning us to be careful, that’s when we need to listen. But when we look at someone based on appearance, that isn’t of the Lord and that’s when we need to repent of our judging attitude. Jesus tells us

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Luke 6:37

He also said,

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.

John 7:24

But unfortunately it happens. If we only see with our eyes, and not listen with our ears, we’ll miss out on the true inner beauty of the person God created them to be. When we do we are the one to miss out on a hidden gem. God bless!

Different Yet The Same

When you see the homeless person on the side of the road, do you look away for fear of them knocking on the window and asking for help? Or do you buy them a meal? What about the person in the parking lot struggling to load their vehicle, do you stop and offer to help? I am reminded of how people come from many walks of life and yet we are all the same. We may have different skin tones, hair and eye color, our height and weight may vary, and yet we are all the same. We were created by God in His image. His image.

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:27

So, are you the person who tries to ignore the homeless because they make you uncomfortable? Or do you buy them a meal? One look at their tattered, ragged, dirty clothes and maybe you hope they won’t come up to you asking for help.

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.

John 7:24

What about the person in the parking lot that you stopped and offered to help? When you look at these two people can you see beyond their appearance and realize that though they are different, yet they are indeed the same?

If there is one good thing that has come out of this pandemic it’s seeing people come together and help out their fellow man. Will it continue after the restrictions are lifted and life returns to normal? I pray so. There are so many people who sacrificed so much to keep the public safe, informed, protected, and fed. When your life comes to a standstill you begin to realize just how much you rely on people, who on the surface may seem insignificant but in reality they are important. Did you ever stop to think about the grocery clerk stocking the shelves or ringing up your purchases? Or the gas station attendant who stayed open so people could buy gas to get to work?

When life returns to normal… the real normal with a sprinkle of the new normal…remember all of the silent workers who helped to keep you fed by keeping their drive-thru open. The gas station that remained open so you could buy fuel for your vehicle. The countless grocery stores that worked hard to keep the shelves stocked so you could buy food while maintaining social distancing. Say a prayer for them, for their families and remember – we are all different, yet the same. God bless! 💗

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