You Look Fine

The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Whenever I ask my daughter or husband how I look and they reply, “You look just fine,” I want to head right back to my closet and start over! Of course, I usually do not have enough time for that, so I leave the house looking “just fine.”

What is meant by “fine” anyway? My children’s dictionary, which I prefer to use for simplicity, defines fine as “very well or healthy.” All I can think of is that I don’t look sick and that because I look “healthy,” people think I’ve gained weight!

Our loving God tells us plainly that although we see outward appearances and do not see the heart, He does see the heart, and that’s what really matters. What a beautiful truth! He sees the good, the bad, and the ugly in our hearts, regardless of the state of our outward appearance. Beautiful to Him is quite different from the world’s definition of beauty.

He sees my heart when it isn’t so fine because I’ve failed, yet He knows I want to please Him. He knows my weak heart is made of dust but it still beats for Him. He knows I love Him and want to be obedient until my heart stops beating on this earth, when I finally will see Him face to face. That happens not because I look fine, but because I am very fine—perfect, actually—in Jesus Christ. You, too, are very fine—perfect, actually—in Jesus Christ, whether you feel or look “just fine” or not.

It is encouraging to know that even though God sees and knows everything about us, He still has plans for us that are a lot more than just fine!

Thank God He made our hearts forever perfect in Jesus Christ. “Just fine” will hardly do!