But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lorddoes not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
The last time husband wore a suit and I wore a dress was youngest son’s wedding a year ago. We are a very casual couple. Husband wears jeans and boat shoes even to church. I wear dress pants and a blouse or sweater to work and church unless it is casual day and I can wear jeans. I only have flat shoes, no heels. I remember one time in college, my roommate asked me when I was going to get ready for my date. I told her I was ready. She took one look at my Hawaiian print shirt, jeans and boat shoes and shuffled me off to her closet to get redressed. Comfortable, casual, that’s our style. Last week, we had two opportunities to get dressed up. We were invited to a 1920s party to celebrate the opening of the new hotel downtown. It is in a restored 1920s building so I worked for several weekends to make a 1920s style dress. I borrowed some heels from a friend, made a long string of pearls, curled my hair and wore a headband. I achieved the vintage look I wanted even though I looked like a matronly 1920s woman. I didn’t have time to make husband an outfit so he wore his wedding suit with a black tab collar shirt. Our hope was he would look like a gangster. No such luck. Someone asked if he was a priest! Still, it was fun to dress up for a change. Less than a week later, he put on his suit again and I wore the dress that was for youngest son’s wedding and we went to the “Light the Night” gala to raise money for a new project at the Florida Baptist Children’s Home, a shelter for young victims of sex trafficking. Everyone was dressed in long dresses and tuxedos so we were still “dressed down.” Looking at all the pretty gowns, glittering jewels and handsome tuxes, I couldn’t help but feel like a pig in a poke. On the outside, I might be fancy, but inside, I was still the same old casual me. But, as I mingled with the other guests, I realized that no matter what we were wearing on the outside, inside we all deeply moved for the cause of Christ. As a group, we shed tears over the stories of young girls sold for prostitution in our very own state, applauded the courage of those victims as they overcame their past and resolved to do something to make a difference in their lives. At the end of the gala, we stood together holding our candles high symbolically turning on the porch light for those in need. God says that it is what’s on the inside that matters, not how you dress yourself on the outside. The question He asks of us is not “When was the last time you dressed up?” but, “When was the last time you were moved to help someone in my name?”
Leave a Reply