1 Samuel 16:7 - "...the Lord does not look at the things people look at, people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"
If I'm honest, many of them had a sliver of anxiety.
You see, I was worried about what these people would think about me!
Would they think I'm smart? Do they think I can offer them anything of value? Do I even belong at the same table?
So I put on a highly choreographed show designed to impress those around me with smart comments, thoughtful questions, and well-timed compliments.
And after 30 minutes, I was exhausted!
I couldn't wait to get back to my hotel room removed from others around me with no one else around me to try to impress.
And isn't there where we find so much of our energy going each and every day?
At work, we worry about how our coworkers, colleagues, and clients view our intelligence and our competence.
At home, we worry about how people view our parenting ability through the behavior and accomplishments of our children.
Heck, we even worry about how people see our Christian walk by how well we pray, how much we donate to charity, how often we read the Bible, whether or not we go on mission trips, and on and on!
In short, we put a ton of effort into our external appearance in the hopes we impress the people around us.
But this memory verse reminds us of a very stark reality...
In God's economy, that external appearance isn't even what matters. Rather, the heart is what matters.
And, as believers, we understand that God is our primary audience - our audience of one!
Of course, God is not instructing us that external appearances do not matter. Instead, He is reminding us that our external actions must flow from our internal attitude in a righteous way.
In other words, God is not impressed with the preacher who speaks His word eloquently from the pulpit with a twisted motivation - perhaps to grow his salary or church membership. And while the congregation may not know the difference between the preacher who is motivated by greed or pride, the Lord certainly does.
Here's the best part...
When we focus on our heart instead of external appearances, we find rest!
We don't have to put so much energy and effort into keeping up with others' expectations and standards. Instead, we align our heart with God's standards and everything else falls into place.
Apply This:
1. Remind yourself with this verse at least twice a day over the next 7 days that God looks at your heart
2. Find moments throughout the day when you feel anxious over your external appearances
3. In those moments, make sure your heart (i.e., motivation) is right by God's standards, not peoples' standards
4. Release your anxiety knowing you are pleasing your audience of one - God
