By Joyell Nevins – CFFM Blogger
Have you ever looked in the mirror and not liked what you saw? Have you ever been in a group of people and felt not beautiful, not cool, not handsome? Like, your appearance just didn’t fit, didn’t line up with how you felt?
I have good news for you – and for me – GOD DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT!
Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, as it says in Psalms 139:14. Yes, we are God’s masterpiece, as He through Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10.
But, God does not base our worth or determine who we are by what we look like. He determines our worth by what’s inside of us – and that does not always match what we see on the outside!
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
This is in context of God talking to the prophet Samuel. King Saul had turned his heart and actions away from the Lord, and Samuel was to anoint a new king. God told him to go to a man named Jesse’s house, who had eight sons.
Samuel obeys, and asks Jesse to bring all of his sons for Samuel to consider. The first son looks like a king, and Samuel thinks “surely the Lord’s anointed is here before me.”
And that’s when God says verse 7. Seven of Jesse’s sons, who appeared to have it all together, pass by and the Lord doesn’t choose any of them.
He has Samuel get Jesse to get the youngest son, who was out tending the sheep still – Jesse hadn’t even bothered to call him in for the anointing line-up!
But that’s the one that God chose.
That was King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, was called a man after God’s own heart, and became part of the bloodline of Jesus Christ (one of his names was literally the Son of David).
And that’s from a guy that his own father hadn’t even considered him worthwhile enough to meet the prophet.
From Bible Times to Modern Times
I was gobsmacked with this truth twice in a row recently – a reminder for myself that not only does God not judge us by our outside appearance, but I should also not be quick to judge others by that.
I was on a looooong flight, and one of my seatmates looked like she walked straight out of a K-Pop video (Korean popular music – very trendy and a very specific look).
She was shiny and perky, and since we were headed to Los Angeles, I figured she must be some type of valley girl or pop princess.
But, I was totally wrong. I was flying out of Chile, where I eventually learned she had just finished six months of traveling the world.
She was originally from Korea, and she had decided that she wanted to explore the world outside of Asia, so most of her time had been spent in South America.
While I had mistakenly assumed she was lounging by a pool, this young lady was hiking across the Andes mountains and making friends in hostels.
I was absolutely fascinated by her stories and her courage. And to think, if I had stuck with my original snap judgement, I would have missed meeting and learning from this incredible person.
Age Doesn’t Count Either
This is true of not just our style and appearance, but our age, too. In another situation, I was at the beach, sitting near a main entrance way.
Three young teens, likely middle schoolers, walked by me. One of them was super scruffy. Long hair that could use a brushing, baggy pants, old sandals. The other two were more clean cut in both clothes and hair (one of the boys was actually wearing a polo shirt).
All three of them walked past an object in the sand, but the scruffy one stopped and noticed they were glasses. He mentions to his companions that hey, these are someone’s glasses, should we do something?
The other boys, the ones who seemed so clean cut and put together? They told him to just leave the glasses there and forget about them.
That’s where I stepped in – no way was I going to allow the kid with a compassionate side to have that squashed. I called out, “actually, that’s a great idea to pick up those glasses!”
We decided for him to hang the pair on the big sign, so if someone came looking for them, the glasses would be easy to spot.
Whether we’ve got scraggly hair or no hair, perfect make-up or no make-up, baby face or adult face, God’s attitude of us is not based on that. He is not impressed nor concerned by our appearance.
The Lord knows our heart, and that’s what our character is determined by (our worth is actually linked to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ – you were bought with a price of his life and blood).
Living It Out at YES!
Christian Family Fellowship lives out this value, especially at YES! Camp. Campers from 12-25 years old, and crew members that range all their way to the 80s, are each treated with respect and value as a child of God.
Holy spirit and adventures with Jesus have no age limit, as we have learned repeatedly at camps reminding us to Be Kind and The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength!
This year, campers are focusing on the Kingdom of God, with Matthew 6:33 as the theme verse.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NKJV (part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount)
I don’t ever have to feel less than based on how I look or how I sound or what I’m wearing. My God cares about how I act, how I speak, how I treat the people around me.
And that’s true for you, too. The mirror still shows what the world sees first, but it holds no weight on our worth in the Kingdom of God.
For more questions about YES! Camp, visit Christian Family Fellowship’s Events page or email info@cffm.org.