Ugly/Beautiful

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does 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)

We are blinded by our eyesight.  Our eyes only allow us to see the surface and we have learned to judge things based on what we see on the surface.  It has gotten so much worse in recent years with the popularity of social media.  The bare surface of an issue is posted and the world rushes to judgement.  We see a beggar on a street corner and we think, "lazy."  We see a pregnant teenager and we think, "loose."  We see fat, we think, "no self-control."  We see someone arrested, we think, "guilty."  We see the surface and dismiss God's children without ever seeking to look below the surface.

In Ann VosKamp's JoyDare, I have been challenged to find joy and gratitude in three things each day in that day's assigned category. One of the most challenging categories has been "three things ugly/beautiful."  It challenges us to look beyond what things seem on the surface.... A messy house (because the grandchildren visited);  a rainy, cold winter day (a beautiful Spring ahead).  Those examples are pretty easy.  But the real challenge lies in learning to do that with everything we find ugliness in.  Think of it... God does not make ugly, so it must be our faulty eyesight.  Look deeper.  Examine that ugliness until you find God.  It's there.

Find three things today ugly/beautiful.  It will be difficult.  But do it again tomorrow... And the next day... And the next.  It will become easier.  And it will change the way you think about the world.  It will bring joy to your soul.

Father,
Nothing you have made is ugly.  Help us to see beyond the surface to your beauty underneath.  Amen