Pretty as a Picture

 

Have you ever tried to take a picture of something you thought was pretty, but the camera didn't do it justice?  I noticed it on our Thanksgiving trip to the mountains and the recent snowfall. The views were gorgeous, but the photos weren't that great. It reminded me of a previous conversation I had on my way to Mississippi a few months ago. The cotton fields were in full bloom, and I thought they were beautiful.  I was on the phone with my friend, Abi, when I pulled the car over to take a picture.  I told her that I was disappointed because the picture didn't look near as good as the real thing.  She said, "That's because people made the camera and God made the fields".  I thought that was a pretty profound statement. 

Even with all of the photo editing tools we have available today, nothing I did to the pictures could replicate what my eyes saw.  It made me think of how we're always trying to improve our images. But are they really improved?  If you don't like the way you look, just take a picture and add a filter.  With a few clicks, you can take away the wrinkles, add makeup, change your hair, or even make yourself look slimmer.  Don't get me wrong.  We should take care of ourselves and there isn't anything wrong with wanting to look our best. I could sure use all the help I can get, but I do believe that sometimes we put more emphasis on our outward appearance than what really matters... how we look in God's eyes. 

In 1 Samuel, David is described as being handsome with beautiful eyes. However, when he was chosen to be King, his appearance played no part. God told Samuel that man looks outward, but the Lord looks on the heart.  Speaking of wives in 1 Peter, we're told that being gentle with a quiet spirit is what is precious in God's sight and to let our adornment be the hidden person of the heart.  

We're God's creation just as much as the cotton fields, the mountains, or the snowfall.  If He created us, then His standards are the ones we should strive for and that's something no filter will ever achieve.  

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  -Genesis 1:27

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7

Do not let your adorning be external- the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear.  But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. - 1 Peter 3:3-4

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