⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “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)

Humans are often lead astray by shiny objects, things of beauty. Whether that be the next new thing we must have or by physical appearances. We think what we want lies in what is beautiful and tangible. But in my experience, the truly beautiful and truly tangible often lie in the most mundane of packages.

Our lives often become about chasing after dreams or things that we think will bring about happiness. The reality is that true happiness often already lies within our grasp but we simply are too distracted by the shiny to see it. We can find we come to the later years in life worn out by our chasing about instead of maturing and growing in what we have.

The Lord sees the truth of a thing. Be it a situation or a person, He see’s beyond the shiny outer shell, into what is truly of value within. In doing so He also knows how to best use what is of true value and discards the rest. He knows the heart of the person or the matter and focuses His attention there so that something lasting can be built.