Looking on the Heart

Giant killers have great confidence in the power of God! That's the story of David as he boldly took Goliath's challenge to fight until death. Unasuming, small in stature, harp playing, shepherd boy David took that challenge when no one else would. Others saw David as only a "youth," a weak young lad, small in stature. But when used by God, David was transformed into a "Giant Killer."

How could that be?

David was willing to go and was confident in God’s ability to do what only He could do through him: kill Goliath.

And that he did. With only a sling and a stone, David prevailed over the Philistine. He never even flinched. As a shepherd, David had killed both the lion and the bear with his sling and stone, and David says of Goliath. "And this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God."

Just as my grandmother used to say. "You can't judge a book by its cover," we must be very careful not to make assumptions based on outward appearances, as demonstrated with David when others saw only an insignificant adolescent.

In my early childhood. Rutie was my best friend. We were inseperable. Two "peas in a pod," as my grandmother would say.

Ruthie was special in so many ways. She was adventurous, happy, kind, a great friend… she was also deaf.

Ruthie communicated by reading lips, and I seemed to understand her better than anyone, at times it seems even better than her own family.

On many occasions I was asked by teachers, adminstrators and even an occassional student to interpret or bring clarity to a conversation with Ruthie.

But I never saw Ruthie as different.

She always said she felt "heard" and "understood" by me. And in return, I felt appreciated and loved by Ruthie from the inside out because I was a chubby litle elementary girl who looked a bit different than most of the tiny little girls in our class. We saw each other with different eyes.

So does God. Take a look at 1 Samuel 16:7b (ESV):

"For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

What culture tells us about strength and beauty is different than what God tells us. The world tells us strength is perfection; beauty is perfection. God says, "In your weakness I am made strong." God made us to need Him.

And just like David was transformed from a shepherd boy into a giant killer filled with the confidence of God, you and I can be transformed, too.

2 Corinthians 4:16 says,

"So we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."

*Celebrate Arkansas - March 2018