Just Beneath the Surface

You know the old saying — “Beauty is only skin deep.” I have also heard it stated as, “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone!”

Outward physical appearance is most often linked with desirability but true beauty goes well beyond the outer shell. It’s what is under the surface that really counts. Hollywood and fashion magazines are filled with “beautiful people”, but many an image has been shattered when we find out what they’re really like.

With some people, you just have to get to know them in order to appreciate and love them. They may not have the physical attractiveness of your favorite movie star or pop singer, but their charm comes from a good spirit and good heart, not from a makeup artist.

There are also those in our life we have even placed on a pedestal and made into a type of “super hero”. However, the better we get to know them, the less “super” they become. Our once lofty opinion of them may be shattered or shaken. The pedestal they once stood on is now nothing more than a prop to hide their faults.

To be honest, we are ALL hiding something just beneath the thin veneer of our life. We don’t want others to know who we REALLY are — they may not like what they see. In fact, sometimes WE don’t even like what we see. But, I have some good news…

GOD IS DIFFERENT!

God knows us completely, thoroughly, inside and out. Nothing about us is hidden from Him. All the bumps and imperfections of our being are laid bare and exposed before Him. And He loves us, nonetheless!  Psalm 139:1-2 says, “Oh LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”. That sounds frightening to think that God sees everything we do, knows every thought we conceive, and hears every word we speak. Frightening until we come to understand His perfect love and the offer of salvation and forgiveness.

God is not lurking in the shadows, playing a cosmic game of hide and seek. He wants us to know who He is and desires for us to get to know Him!