Did I need to watch those tricky appearances?
“Don’t take this the wrong way because I don’t mean it ugly, but where do you get your clothes?”
The conversation took place at school during one of our monthly birthday breakfast celebrations. As I prepared my plate, a teacher from the elementary section asked the question. She seemed hesitant even to ask, but I wasn’t offended.
“My wife orders them from Amazon, but I’m not sure what company,” I replied.
The clothes she referred to weren’t my pants, but my shirts. For months, I had worn flowery, paisley shirts typically worn by hippies in the 1960s and 1970s. And that matched my personality since I was an old hippie.
But the culture wasn’t really why I wore them then or now. I had never cared what people thought about my attire. The only brand names I selected as a teen were Levi™ pants and Converse™ tennis shoes. Other than that, I dressed in whatever I liked, whether anyone else did or not.
Sometimes, others picked on me because of my attire, glasses, or hairstyle. I didn’t care. I was pretty much a loner who needed little acceptance from my peers, so peer pressure didn’t pressure me much.
My same attitude carried over into adulthood. Yes, I want to be liked and accepted, but it doesn’t send me into a tailspin when it doesn’t happen. I move on, one step at a time. And yes, I still wear unusual clothes for someone in my profession, as my peer noticed.
My teacher peer and I concluded that my style was “Dr. Wiles style.”
Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.
~John 7:24 NLT
People misjudged Jesus’ appearance, too. When he told the religious leaders they were trying to kill him, they told him he was demon-possessed. On another occasion, they accused him of working for Satan when he cast our demons.
Outward appearance holds some importance. We want pleasant hygiene so others won’t avoid us and we won’t offend them. And some professions require particular attire—suit and tie, uniform.
Yet, our outward appearance holds less importance than our inner appearance. That’s why Jesus told his accusers to look beneath the surface. But how do we do that? By looking at others’ actions, as they do ours. What’s in our hearts comes out through our actions. This is where God looks. At our heart. Is it tender? Has it run to him for forgiveness? Does it long to serve him by loving others?
Outer appearances can be tricky, causing us to judge others unfairly. First-time impressions often prove deceptive. Just as we should look beyond external appearance with others, we also must ensure our outward appearance matches what’s on our inside. We should want people to see outwardly who we really are.
What do others see when they look beneath your surface?
There was a time I cared more about what others thought. As I’ve gotten older, however, I care less and less about what people think and more and more what Jesus thinks! That’s freeing! And I’m thankful!
Thank you for this good reminder!