God Loves How We Look

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

I personally love this verse so much. The reason I love it is because when I feel like I'm not pretty enough or need to change something to make myself look more attractive, I can come back to this verse and remember that God loves me for who I am, and not what I look like. 

Usually I would ask a couple questions to think about. Today, I wanna ask and have you really think about these questions:

1. Have you ever (in your lifetime or recently) looked in a mirror and felt disgusted with how you look?

2. Have you ever wished you could change something about your physical appearance?

3. Do you take criticism seriously when it comes to how you look?

Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can relate and say yes to all of these questions. Even I am guilty of it. You may feel like you need to lose a lot of weight, or you have horrible acne. People might've made fun of the clothes you wear, or a new hair color you're trying out. No matter what it is, we all know that it hurts when you receive those nasty comments. 

Here's some good news: God loves you, no matter what you look like. God created us all differently; we all have flaws. Why are we making a huge deal of our appearance when we should be focusing on living for God?

James 1:23 (NIV)

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror."

If you are someone who focuses more on your appearance other than following God, then I encourage you think about what is more important in your life. God honestly does not care about what you look like, for it's your personality and where your heart is that matters more. 

Isaiah 11:3 (MSG)

"Fear-of-God will be all his joy and delight. He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay."

1 Peter 3:3-4 (MSG)

"What matters is not your outer appearance - the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes - but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in."

Heavenly Father,

I thank you for making us all unique. I thank you for all our flaws that make us all different from everyone else. Lord, I know we sometimes get so caught up in the trends and how we have to look, but we know that you love us no matter what, and no one can tell us otherwise. Lord, please show the ones who are stuck on outward appearance that there is more to life than worrying about that, and lead them closer to you. 

Amen.