The Almighty Snap Shot

We always say that it is the inside that counts and not what is on the outside. But do we really believe this?

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

As a church we are getting geared up to create a new church directory with each of our smiling faces. As I stand here this morning and look out at each of you, I believe it will be the church’s best looking directory ever! I pray we all have met with Jodie and have slotted a time in which we can have our photos taken.

Pictures are really great aren’t they? A couple of weeks ago Stacy created a really nice Power Point Presentation of her Grandmother’s life to be played during her funeral. She did a great job, I know her Grandma would have been very proud of the work she did to honor her.

It was filled with pictures, snap shots, of her life. Some were black and white, some were in color, some were old, and some were new. But they were all pictures of her life. They were filled with memories of a life that was full of love. The presentation really encompassed much of life.

As I sat there during the playing of the presentation, I thought to myself that for those that never met Opal, how could they really grasp who she was, what she was about, who she was on the inside? We can’t really ever know people through just snap shots can we?

Some of us take great pictures. We may have been during our life time that we are photo genic and that the camera loves us.

However, some of us may not be as fortunate with taking pictures. You may be sitting here right now thinking of ways in which you can get out of having you picture taken for the directory.

People have told you that you don’t take good pictures, you hate the way you look in any picture, you often dodge the camera, you may hold your hand over your face when someone tries to take a snap shot, and you may even run away at the very sight of a camera.

However you handle yourself, the fact remains: YOU HATE SEEING YOUR SELF IN ANY SNAP SHOT! We really are strange creatures aren’t we?

We are so focused on our appearances.

Guys, did you know that there are some women that will never ever under no circumstances be seen without make-up. It’s true!

Ladies, did you know that there are some men out there that will never ever under no circumstances be seen unless their hair is combed just right? This is the real reason you see many men wearing hats.

James 2: 3-4 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Why do we place so much emphasis on our appearances? We are so concerned about how we look and how other sees us.We must wear certain clothes depending on where it is we are at. Some people would think you would be under-dressed if you were to wear sandals or shorts to an elegant restaurant. Some people would think you would be over-dressed if you went to McDonalds wearing a tuxedo or a prom dress.

We live in a very visually conscious world. We live in a world that believes that it’s the clothes that makes the person. The better you look, the more successful you are, the better you look, the happier your life is.

I remember part of basic training in the Army was learning how to blend ourselves to the environment around us. And this is what each of us do on a daily basis. We are masters at concealing our true selves to those around us. We cover everything up with a smile.

If pictures could reveal the real us, what is really going on inside I wonder how different things would be.

If we were to take a snap shot of your life right now, what would we see? Would we see a happy filled life that is full of joy, peace, and love? Would we see Jesus? Or would we see a life that has pains, hurts, and loneliness, a life separated from Jesus?

It seems in our society that we are more concerned about hiding than really living. We don’t want to let people in do we? We hide our pain with a smile each time we are in public. We believe it to be a sign of weakness to show our tears.