Appearances

I have been thinking a lot about appearances lately. They can be deceiving, on a multitude of levels.

A funny thing (in a rather dark sort of way) happened last Saturday. I was sitting in my study, and heard a large truck coming up our street. Well, it was not trash day or UPS delivery time, so I decided to go take a look. As I looked out the front window, I saw a large moving van coming to collect our next door neighbor’s stuff. But, at that very moment, an ambulance was turning around in our driveway. No siren, but lights were flashing. “Well, that will give a few of the neighbors pause,” I thought. (It did.) The ambulance was following an inaccurate map or GPS unit. That was what was going on.

Many have asked me how I was feeling, and did I have any symptoms (appearances). Short answer: before the discovery of cancer, I had none, and what I feel now is more the result of treatment than the disease. (Side effects have, so far, been very mild. Keep praying!) This is a strange disease. I have had no visible or tangible effects, but what I do have is test results—lots of them. These tests look deep below the surface and find out what is going on at a level below my awareness. Reminds me of how God sees into each of us.

When Samuel was looking for the person God would choose to replace Saul (and his lineage) as king, God sent him to Jesse’s house. There he would find a teenager named David. We know he was a shepherd boy, therefore young, and maybe he had pimples! Not exactly the king-to-be type. But as Samuel looked at one of David’s older brothers, God gives Samuel a powerful insight. (1 Samuel 16:7) "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." The heart.

In our culture we are all about external appearances, but the really important view is what my heart looks like to God.

Jesus said in John 7:24, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

Treatment Update: I am through the first round of meds. I get to "rest" next week. God continues to be good, faithful, merciful, awesome, gracious, amazing...

And so many are praying! Thanks!