This week week’s theme is “Don’t Judge by Appearance.”

I am fascinated by space, planets, and stars, but a couple of enthusiasm levels short of those of you who

own telescopes. If I hear that a meteor shower might be visible, I’ll dutifully go outside and look around,

usually to no avail. Thanks to a heads up from a local TV weather personality I did once see two bright

dots representing the international space station and space shuttle pass overhead.

But two recent space-related phenomena were hard to miss.

While not in the path of totality, our city recently witnessed a healthy dose of an eclipse (you might have

heard about it). More recently we got an unexpected treat when a sun storm allowed people in unusual

places to witness the aurora borealis (that’s the northern lights to us laymen).

The northern lights were at first so subtle that I wasn’t sure I was seeing anything. The eclipse was the

opposite. The sun is so powerful that, even when mostly obscured by the moon, we need special glasses

to safely look at it.

I wonder if God’s work in my life is like this. Sometimes it’s subtle and requires close attention to even

notice it, but other times it’s so overwhelming that I can’t comprehend it without lenses like Bible study,

prayer, and worship.

When Samuel first saw Eliab, he thought he knew what he was looking at – a future king. But God had a

different perspective:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected

him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.

(1 Samuel 16:7 HCSB)

We should not judge God’s actions and love for us by whether we can see or understand them.

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won

God’s approval by it. By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so

that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 HCSB)

Days may pass when I don’t think about the sun at all. I sometimes look out the west windows of my

house and regret that I didn’t even notice a beautiful sunset until it was too late. But the sun will be

right back. I just need to look in the right direction and be patient.

By Mark Stuart



Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob, and father-in-law of Bailey.