But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7
According to research at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.
Give the theory a shot, and see if it’s true:
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Isn’t it amazing? I love this illustration of how the mind works to put words together. It goes against everything I was taught in grade school and totally ends the need for spell check! It’s the perfect example that confirms what you see may not be what you get.
Here’s a reminder: God is searching our hearts. He doesn’t care about our outward appearances. In fact, many of us have gotten so good at hiding who we really are, that even we don’t recognize our true selves. And, it’s often Christians who put masks on so quickly, fearing that if other people really knew them, they would be rejected, condemned, or cast aside like yesterday’s paper.
Today, if you are hiding behind a mask, afraid to reveal your true self, allow God to peel back the layers of fear, pain and deception in order to find your true self…the one that was made in the image of God.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Is there anyone you’ve judged by outward appearances? If so, what can you do to make things right?
2. If you are preventing people from getting to know the real you, ask God to give you the courage to remove the “mask” you wear.
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 139:1, 23; Jeremiah 17:10; 1 Chronicles 28:9