We all know the lesson, but it bears repeating. As Samuel examined a line of tall, strong, strapping young men, anxious to anoint the next king, he heard a whisper:

Do not consider his appearance or his height. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

What’s inside matters most. At least that’s what I tell myself, and I told my kids and I teach to students. But I’m easily impressed by outward appearances.

I notice how people dress (Boulder, Colorado, near where I live, may be the worst-dressed city in America). I notice hair styles and hair colors. More and more I notice tattoos. People tattoo themselves as a form of self-expression, but I see some poor design choices. I notice the cars people drive. Yesterday a big truck pulling a killer ski boat passed down my street—I noticed.

But God isn’t impressed. By going below the surface and giving attention to my heart, I develop in areas most central to the Lord. I can do something about that.

Surface decorations fade, clothes go out of style, tattoos sag. It’s incredibly freeing to realize none of this matters to God. As we pay less attention to external appearances and more attention to the heart, our souls flourish and shine.

A lesson I need to review over and over.

1 Samuel 16 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Dingzeyu Li