The Eyes of the Heart

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Daddy.....watch!"Slowly, lovingly, deliberately, this disheveled man gave

attention to all six children, playing, talking, laughing, discovering...and

together they had a wonderful time. I sat, astonished and ashamed of myself for

thinking the guy was a creep.How quickly we judge another's outward appearance.

It's so easy to do, isn't it? We see clothes that don't match, and at another's

car, manners, music, posture, or facial characteristics...judging all the

while.I'll tell you, if the human perspective had been criterion for God's

judgment, the Swindolls would have been zapped long ago. Each of us, my

brothers and I, live the majority of our lives in well-worn clothes that don't

match. Comfortable is what we like. More often than not, I go to the store in

my oldest sweats. They're perfect. They fit the contours of my aging body and

feel great. I don't want to change clothes just to pick up a carton of milk,

grab a hamburger, or have the car washed. My

friends encourage me to wear designer sweats. Not on your life!In Antoine de

Saint-Exupery's book, The Little Prince, he states the principle, "It is only

with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the

eye."Oh, how I love that thought. "What is essential is invisible" captures

what we read in Scripture. Not only do we have no right to pass judgment on

another, but we also have no way to see what's inside that person.Who cares if

the guy at the car wash was the opposite of my view of a proper dad? All those

kids cared about was the attention he gave them. He listened. He played. He

loved them.And, you know what is really amazing? When I saw his heart...with my

heart...he became almost good-looking. Well, maybe not good-looking, but

certainly more appealing. I was him with different eyes, the eyes of

nonjudgment. I liked him.When I don't put any judgmental demands on others, I'm

happiest because I know I'm doing

what is right. I feel good. When nobody puts demands on me, it frees me to be

who I really am--a slob, clothed in Christ's righteousness. 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 Samuel 16:7"This story was taken from "We

Brake For Joy!" by the Women of Faith.Copyright 1998 by Women of Faith, Inc."

 

" Does Your Heart Only Beat For Yourself Or For Others Too ?"

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