How Do I Look?
I can't remember where I first heard it, but I've heard it many times. "You can fool all of the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all of the time. But you can't fool all of the people all of the time." This popped into my head the other day as I considered the Lord's words to the prophet Samuel as he was trying to discern whom the Lord had chosen as king of Israel. "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 ESV). It wasn't that Eliab, they man in question, was trying to fool anyone, it was just that Samuel fooled himself with his superficial evaluation.
That's what temps us to be intentional about misleading people about some aspect of ourselves. It's so easy. They fool themselves. We don't have to try very hard at all to make people think we are better than we are. All we have to do is drop a few names, casually mention some exploit as if it were something we do routinely, or even roll our eyes in mock dismay at some "weakness" with which we struggle. Most people will leap to conclusions which prevent us from having to resort to overt lies. We just set the stage and they supply the details.
The problem arises when we first start to fool ourselves. Most of us harbour the suspicion that we aren't really recognized adequately for all we do, that we aren't respected as we should be, that we aren't appreciated enough. To stimulate what we think would be a proper response, we highlight our accomplishments to get the recognition, project an air of dignity to elicit respect, and draw attention to our sacrificial acts to arouse gratitude. It all seems so reasonable; we're just getting our due. We fool ourselves into thinking that we need to redress a perceived imbalance. But once we start, where do we stop? Maybe the more important question is "Can we stop?"
In my role as a broadcaster, I've interviewed many people. Some have wonderful stories they have shared willingly for the blessing and encouragement of others. But I've had a few big letdowns. On several occasions, I've arranged trophy interviews with well-known Christian leaders. I prepared questions which would give them the opportunity to let others know how God had worked in and through them in spectacular ways. But these interviews were disappointments. Why? These people were very careful to not permit the possibility of others thinking more highly of them than they deserved. Consequently, they were entirely disinterested in talking about the very things on which I had focussed.
At first, I was frustrated. Then, I caught on. I began to see the genuine humility that was at work in these godly people. I've been challenged by that. They did not fall into the trap of trying to appear larger than life. They knew that the approval and admiration of their peers was truly worth nothing. What mattered supremely to them, was God's assessment, not of their external behaviour, but of the condition of their hearts. Paul wrote about this to his friends in Corinth: "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God" (1 Corinthians 4:4-5 ESV).
What would our lives look like if we concerned ourselves only with God's evaluation?
Ron Hughes
© April 2008
