What's On the Inside

In 1st Samuel 16, we read that Samuel went to the house of Jesse at God's instruction, in order to identify a King over Israel, to replace the disobedient Saul.  As Samuel inspected the sons of Jesse, he came to one of them and said that one of them, Eliab, was surely the chosen one.  God replied to the
prophet:
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

In our world today, there is a great amount of concentration on outward appearance, and time and expense are devoted to make someone look more appealing.  Plus, we can work so much on the image we project, making sure we act the right way, drive the right car, live in the right house, and so forth.  I believe God is fine with us having things and projecting a sharp image, but if our concentration is more on the image of self rather than the image of God, we have our priorities backward.  We can devote ourselves to improving our walk with God and strengthening the inner person.

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We can place so much attention on outward appearance; what people see - but Jesus drove home a point in Luke 11 about paying attention to what is in our hearts.
37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?...

Near the coast of Taiwan, rising 55 feet above the surface of the land, there is a large structure in the shape of a high-heeled shoe.  The BBC reported on the project, which is made out of over 320 tinted glass panels and measures some 36 feet wide and was constructed at a cost of $686,000.

It's not a statue, no, its purpose is to be a...church!

It is the creation of local government officials in the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area, which is a prominent tourist area in Taiwan, which decided to build it last June.  A representative told the BBC that the church will not be used for regular services, but pre-wedding photo shoots and wedding ceremonies.  She said, "In our planning, we want to make it a blissful, romantic avenue… Every girl imagines how they will look like when they become the bride."

The aim is to attract women, according to the article. A government spokesman said, "There will be 100 female-oriented features in the church like maple leaves, chairs for lovers, biscuits and cakes." He added, "It will be tailored to women, especially female tourists visiting the area."

The shoe is actually intended to honor the memory of a local girl who in the 60's, according to local officials, suffered from a disease, resulting in both of her legs being amputated, leading to the cancellation of her wedding. She remained unmarried and spent the rest of her life at a church.

There's a cartoon in the piece that shows Cinderella standing beside the huge shoe, saying to a group of women, "Come find your spiritual glass shoe and live happily ever after."  Wow - doesn't that say a lot?   Because there are people that are searching for a spiritual experience that can be exhilarating and bring permanent bliss - to "live happily ever after."  It's a reminder to us that the promises of God can result in true, lasting happiness, joy unspeakable, and a forever that is beyond our imagination - it is more than just some fairy tale, it is spiritual reality.

This story also brought another thought or two to mind.  For one thing, while the outside is at the same time magnificent and gaudy, we don't really know what will be going on inside.  This structure will not be used for worship, but what if it were?  Would the outward adornment override the inward activity?   We have to make sure as believers that we don't emphasize gimmickry rather than the presence of Almighty God.   We can use cleverly designed, even creative methods to draw people to our church, but we have to make sure we are offering the living water of God's Spirit once they attend.

Finally, I think about how outward adornment can override inward activity in our personal lives. Who are we really?  Are we the image we project to people, perhaps an image of a "together" life, a satisfied existence, the expression of a social class or income level?   But, we can be challenged to consider how the outward appearance could mask what's going on in our hearts.   The greatest treasure is to know Jesus and allow Him to have His way in our hearts.  He can teach us what it means to live "happily ever after."