Take a Selfie of Your Heart

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

One current trend that I love is the photography of individuals, friends, family, engagements, weddings, etc. in a setting other than a photography studio.  Don’t get me wrong, yearbook and church directory photos serve their purpose, but there’s just something about spontaneous photography that can reach your heartstrings.  Whether it’s outside in a field, in a historic building, or in some other out-of-the-ordinary setting, I absolutely love how photographers can capture people “in the moment” and evoke emotion and personality out of the photos they take.  These kinds of photos tell a story about a person…who they are, what they enjoy doing, and what their everyday life is like.  My sisters and I have had photos taken like the ones I am describing and below is one of my favorites.  This photo definitely speaks “The Young Sisters!” :)

In this world of “selfies” and having “the perfect picture,” it is very easy to become self-conscious about how you look and whether or not the picture turned out good.  This isn’t just a 2014 issue, it’s been an ongoing problem – people want to look a certain way in order to be who they think they have to be.  From elementary school to adulthood…everyone, to some extent, feels they have to be something they aren’t in order to fit in.

Thank goodness God isn’t worried about any of that nonsense.  God tells the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7 that, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”  He said this in relation to David being anointed King.  Samuel kept thinking that God wanted him to anoint David’s older and more muscular-looking brothers.  David was the youngest and I have a feeling a little scrawny compared to the rest of his siblings (we know this from how he was described when meeting Goliath for the first time).  Surely God didn’t want the scrawny brother to be King of Israel?  How could he fight in a war or represent the nation?  BUT…God told Samuel that physical appearance doesn’t matter to Him.  What matters is the heart of the person. 

1 Peter 3:4 is a great encouragement to this thought as well, “let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”  God doesn’t care about the current fashion, pearly whites, or ear/nose/bellybutton bling.  He cares what you adorn yourself with on the inside…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Don’t worry about what you look like –  worry about your heart.  Do you follow Christ?  Are you kind?  Do you show compassion?  Do you seek to serve God?  Are you encouraging?  And the list of positive attributes you relate to yourself could go on and on and on.  The phrase “be yourself” seems so cliché, but it is so true.  There’s no one quite like you.  You are unique.  You were fearfully and wonderfully made by a Creator who always does something for a purpose (Psalm 139:14, Romans 8:28).  That in itself, quite frankly, is beautiful.

I’m in no way harping on selfies or picture taking…keep taking those pictures!  But next time you do take a selfie of your heart and think “Does this picture reflect me on the inside?”  Again, that’s why I love “in the moment” photography so much because I can truly see the heart of the person/people in them.  Props to all those photographers out there who are able to reflect our hearts through their craft.  Just remember, dear friend that as God’s child you live for Christ, not for others, and no matter what you think about how you look, Jesus thinks that heart of yours is the most beautiful thing in the world.  And THAT is all that matters in this life.

"Live Like That" Day

"And He [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him…”  - 2 Corinthians 5:15a

Ice Cream Day, Best Friend Day, Purple Shirt Day…who even comes up with those?  I mean, I know national holidays are instituted by the government, but run-of-the-mill celebration/remembrance days…where do those even originate?  Well, if any ordinary person is the one who develops such days, I have a proposition for July 4.  I know, I know…that day is already taken as Independence Day, but surely to goodness we take part in both.  What is my proposition for July 4?  Let’s make it “Live Like That” Day!

Why July 4?  

On July 4, 2012, two special kids – Nate & Noah – lost their lives in a tragic lake accident.  The days and months that followed were so difficult and challenging (and still are) for the families as they came to terms with what had happened and how to move on with life.  July 4 has become a day that is hard to look at on the calendar, talk about, and most especially live through as it is just tied to the memory of that unforgettable day.  I’m all about taking a negative and turning it into a positive – so how about taking this difficult day and turning it into a day where we make a difference?  Of course we still take time to remember the boys and pray for their families, but let’s make July 4 a day beyond what it is and make it a day to honor them in a positive way!

Why “Live Like That?” 
In the month or so that followed the accident, the Sidewalk Prophet’s song, Live Like That became kind of an anthem of remembrance of the two boys.  The song talks about how Christians should live their lives as one that points to and impacts others for Christ.  Even in their short lives, Nate & Noah impacted their peers & even adults with their talents and personalities.  At their funeral, the stories of their legacies impacted people follow Christ and recommit their lives to Him.  They lived lives that pointed others to Jesus and even through their passing were still pointing the world to Him.  In relation to that, Nate’s family developed red bracelets with the phrase on them to remind people to “Live Like That” which even found their way to the Sidewalk Prophet band with whom the families have had opportunities to meet and share the boys’ story.

Who are we supposed to live like?  

Jesus.  Plain and simple.  2 Corinthians 5:15a cuts straight to the heart of this – “And He [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him…”  In life we all strive for perfection, but we never attain it and frankly will never attain it.  The only perfect person to ever live was Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 2:22 says that Jesus, “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”  

What’s the first way we can strive to be like Him?  Giving our lives to Him.  This requires admittance of our sin (all the wrong things we’ve ever done) and the acknowledgment that we are not perfect, belief that Jesus is the Son of God, confession of our sins, and commitment to follow Jesus every day following.  Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God.”  By doing this we receive a gift – eternal life with Him.    

The second way we can be like Jesus is to follow His example.  In the Bible Jesus told us, “I have given you an example that as I have done, so should you” (John 13:15).  We can see many attributes of Christ as we study the Bible but some that come to the top of my mind are – compassion, serving, grace, mercy, honesty, thoughtfulness, endurance, discernment, and the list goes on and on.  We’re not going to reach the level of Christ…we’re imperfect humans…but we can live our lives as Christ by making His attributes our attributes and by following His example.

What do we do to “Live Like That?”

Honestly anything positive, uplifting, or encouraging to benefit the lives of others.  Maybe it is baking cookies for your neighbor, buying the person’s meal behind you, visiting someone who is lonely, writing an encouraging letter to a friend, serving at the homeless shelter, having a good attitude, sharing Christ with someone….ANYTHING!  Even the apostle Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22, gives us a list of things we can do:

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³ Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

I can’t think of any better examples of kids that sought to encourage and uplift others than Nate & Noah.  Nate was really into art and loved to draw things for people or teach them how to make some sort of art.  Noah loved to help people.  He would go with his family to give out food on Thanksgiving, was super excited to hand out Christmas gifts to kids who didn’t have any, and even helped me run my computer one day when I taught a missions lesson and didn’t have a computer operator.  These boys had sweet servant hearts and they pointed others to Jesus…they “Lived Like That!”

In Closing
To be honest, every day should be “Live Like That” Day.  We should always strive to grow in our walk with Christ by living like Him.  Our faith in Him should be more than the things we say and the songs we sing – we should always show others the light of Jesus  (I wrote about this in my last blog, click HERE to read it).  BUT let’s set aside this day, July 4...and every July 4 that follows...to strive and do something special or meaningful for someone to honor the legacy of Nate & Noah and ultimately to point others to Christ.   

“I wanna live like that and give it all I have, so that everything I say and do points to You!  If love is who I am, then this is where I stand.  Recklessly abandoned, never holding back.  I wanna live like that.  I wanna LIVE LIKE THAT!”