Bad Hair Day?

Have you ever looked in the mirror and cringed as you thought, Uh oh. It’s going to be one of those days…  Are you having a bad hair day or maybe you haven’t really had a good night’s sleep in a month and you’ve got the puffy eyes to prove it?  We’ve all been there.  I’m having a real doozy today.

But God knows. God knows you, the real you beyond that crazy wind-blown hair, that extra weight you’ve put on even before the Thanksgiving pie has made an appearance.  And guess what?  He loves you no matter what your hair looks like, what’s stuck in your teeth from breakfast that you noticed at lunch, and no matter what you’ve got all over the front of your jacket that you didn’t even see until you were paying the cashier.  God loves you right in the middle of your bad day and all of your messes.

But do we try to have that focus, that sort of perspective for ourselves? For each other?  Do we try to look beyond what’s visible to the heart of each person?

Maybe that elderly woman who cut in front of you in line didn’t even see you because she just came from the hospital where she got some really bad news and her mind is still back in that cold and sterile room. Maybe that young woman at the grocery store has three sick children she’s caring for and she’s more concerned about getting them some applesauce and crackers than if her hair is squeaky clean.  Or maybe that man who didn’t return your smile in the parking lot can’t even consider smiling because he just lost his job, the only income for his family, and he’s consumed with not knowing how he’s going to provide for his family.

Maybe we should try to look at people through God’s eyes and love them right where they are, right when they need it most.

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b NIV.)