The Heart

"Then the king ordered Ashpenaz,

chief of his court officials,

to bring in some of the Israelites 

from the royal family and nobility--

young men without any physical defect,

handsome, 

showing aptitude for every kind of learning,

well informed,

quick to understand,

and qualified to serve in the king's palace."

Daniel 1:3-4

"When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought,

'Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.'

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 man looks at.

Man looks at the outward appearance,

but the LORD looks at the heart.'"

1 Samuel 16:6-7

Everybody is out to get the best: Employers want to find the most experienced and qualified people to help them grow their business.  Women are looking for "Mr Right," the one perfect man who will make all their dreams come true and give them their "happily ever after."  Men are looking for the ideal woman who will always look great, will worship the ground on which they walk and will never nag.  

The search for excellence and flawlessness begins at an early age.  Parents worry that they won't be giving their children the best upbringing possible so they spend thousands of dollars and invest hundreds of hours in extracurricular activities.  Many also choose just the right school for their toddlers, hoping to improve the advantage they'll have later in life by giving them a solid educational and culturally rich foundation.  We are simply obsessed with being the best.

My idea of what is best is different than God's.  When I get sucked up into the performance-based, materialistic philosophy of this world, I will start to forget what's important to God.  But if I do as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:2, I will know how to live my life His way.  "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

If I want to please God, I'll have to reject the common way of doing things and start thinking about things from God's perspective. 

The World

King Nebuchadnezzar decided to choose some young men  from his newly acquired territory to serve him in his courts.  He instructed his chief of the court officials to pick them from the upper crust of Israeli society.  Only the best would do for him.  They had to be muscular and well-built, handsome, well-bred and intelligent.  I can almost picture the candidates standing in a line while a Babylonian official checked their teeth and looked them over thoroughly.  These men were chosen for their physical and mental attributes.

It's natural for me to look at my own abilities and aptitudes and judge whether or not I'm well-suited for a particular job.  As I search the Bible, I find that I am not alone in this struggle.  

When God called Moses to go to Egypt and save His people from the hand of Pharaoh, Moses replied, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue." (Exodus 3:10)  Moses is not the only one who assumed it depended on him to complete the mission on which God was sending him.  I am guilty of this insecurity as well.  I have a thousand "buts" to offer.  "But. . . what if I don't know what to say?"  "But. . .  I've never been good at that."   "But. . . . isn't there someone else who could do a better job than I?"  "But. . . .  I've never done anything like this before!"  "But. . . but. . . but. . . "

The answer to my "but. . . " is the same as it was to Moses, "Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who give him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the LORD?  Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say."  (v 11)  The answer to my insecurities and fear of my own lack of fitness for the job is God.  He is bigger than my weaknesses.  He is greater than my lack of abilities.  He transcends every "what if" scenario. 

If I judge myself by man's standards when I hear God's calling, I may not obey and miss out on his blessing. 

God

When God rejected Saul, the first king of Israel, He sent His prophet Samuel to anoint the next king.  Samuel went to the home of Jesse and right away saw the oldest son and thought for sure he was looking upon the next king of Israel, but God set him straight.  He told Samuel that men get caught up in the physical attributes and human expectations but what really is important cannot be seen by man.  The heart is the most important consideration according to God.

It's all too easy for me to focus on the wrong thing.  I get caught up in my qualifications, or lack thereof, and become paralyzed with fear.  Other times, I can't see past the flaws of someone else in order to see all the good God is doing in their lives.  I get stuck on the surface.  In order to find someone who looked deeper I need look no further than the Gospels.  

Mary was a young woman whose heart was devoted to God.  When the angel Gabriel paid her a visit to deliver the message that she would carry the Christ Child, she had her own "But. . . "  She wanted to know how she could conceive a child since she had never been with a man.  After the angel explained that God would place Jesus within her, she responded with, "I am the Lord's servant. . . May it be to me as you have said."  (Luke 1:38)

Trusting God does not mean to never ask questions.  It does, however, mean letting God have His way.  It must have been hard for Mary to submit herself to the Lord's instruction, knowing how much trouble an out-of-wedlock pregnancy would bring to her and her family living in such a small community.  But she knew that God was bigger than all of her fears and that He would get her through it.

The same is true for me.  Even if doing things God's way will put me on the outskirts, making me the object of gossip and scorn of men, God will get me through it.  Even when following God means losing my job or my home, God will get me through it.  Even if it seems no one understands my calling, God will get me through it.

If I trust God, I can look beyond what I see and rest in the knowledge that He has it all under control.

I can either focus on the abilities and attributes of myself and others or I can choose to trust God with His selections.  If I trust God in His choices, I'll have confidence in His ability to give me what I need in order to do what He has called me to do.  Then, whatever comes my way, I'll be able to say as Mary did, "May it be as you have said."

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I keep my attention on God and trust Him with my choices.

When do I get caught up in the superficial?

How can I trust God who looks deeper than the outward appearance, even if I can't see what He can see?