"Inside"

Might be a perty pony,

With lots of splash and flash,

But have some real bad habits,

You might find out with a crash.

Might be a perty woman,

With lots of nerve and curve,

But in her heart she’s witchy,

And someone you can’t serve.

Might be a handsome Romeo,

With big, strong arm and charm,

But a low-down scoundrel,

Who gives you hurt and harm.

Appearance is a big deal,

The world promotes and dotes,

What’s important is the inside,

As the Bible often quotes.

Jesus called the Pharisees,

Tombs with lots of rot,

White-washed on the outside,

But right with God they’re not.

God spoke to that old prophet,

Said from the inside see and be,

Speaking of the shepherd boy,

A king was his decree.

So when you do your lookin’,

Look past that outside ride,

Ask God for discernment,

To see what’s there inside.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 15:7, NAS)

One of life’s most important lessons is to have discernment, especially with people. Many people appear to be okay and someone you can trust, but sadly this is not always true. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be enamored by someone’s outward appearance and too late find out they have no dependable character. If you’ve ever been betrayed by a so-called friend you know what I mean. How do we learn? Most of us only learn the hard way. But God is gracious and will grace us with discernment if we ask Him. That way we don’t keep making the same relational mistakes with unsafe people.

Lord, give us discernment, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bles syou.