Appearances

Years ago, a husband and wife I knew were upset about a "Come as You Are" Party. The problem? They weren't informed about it! Their friends knocked on their door early in the morning, woke them up, and coerced them into going to a restaurant for breakfast "just as they were"—with bedhead hair and dressed in their pajamas.  
           If it had been me, I would have been upset (perhaps you would have been, too), even though it is a bit funny. But anything that takes us away from our normal routine (or out of our comfort zone) can be unsettling—especially when it's unexpected.   
          Our appearance is important to us. It was to me—and still is, especially as I get older. (I'm sporting whitish-gray hair now, have pronounced bags under my eyes, "crow's feet" lines and "pucker" wrinkles above my lips).    
         Sometimes I wonder what God must think when we worry about our appearance? He doesn't want us to worry, but He created us, and He loves us just the way we are—bedhead hair included. 
         But more importantly, I think our Creator prefers we focus on our "inward" appearance. How is the state of our heart and what does that look like? Are we vessels for His love, grateful for what we have, compassionate toward others? Are we the best version of ourselves we can be, and are we using our time and talents for the better good of the world?   
        The Author of Creation loves us unconditionally. Through Salvation in His Son we are saved from sin. The appearance of the "stain" of sin isn't pretty. However, Scripture tells us that by accepting God's love—and His plan of Salvation—He sees us as "white as snow," without blemish, without stain.  
       Each morning as you and I look in the mirror, may we see ourselves as God sees us!       
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​"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; thought they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." - Isaiah 1:18 NIV
Photo courtesy of Adam Zubek-Nizol at Vecteezy.com

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