:: VFAM.ORG :: We're not rockstars, that's for sure.

A gorgeous take on what may seem ugly.

Jen and I completed our last long run before urr half-marathon in a couple weeks. I was a little nervous as I wasn't sure how my knees were going to hold up (minor knee surgery 3 years ago). But, thankfully, we did fantastic. We ran for two hours straight, completing 10 miles through the Suwanee Creek Greenway. Since we started first thing in the morning, we got to experience the sunrise and a couple breathtaking views (we also ran some trails along the water). Definitely a highlight of the weekend.

In one part of the greenway, we ran through a brief stretch of marshland. It was a little swampy, wet, and not the most attractive site. So as we were trekking through mile 2 or 3, Jen turns to me and says, "This is gorgeous."

Wow.

Immediately it hit me. Here I was thinking, "People probably run through this stretch every day thinking it's unattractive, dirty, and kind of messed up." And my wife said the exact opposite.

Isn't that a fair picture of how God views us versus what the world may say? The world may label us, "You are ugly. You are broken. You are messed up." But then God enters the picture and interjects, "No, you are gorgeous. You are healed. You are redeemed!"

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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

I know I need to be reminded sometimes that God looks at my heart. There may be times that I feel messed up, hopeless, and broken. And in other's eyes, they may see me as that - just a messed up guy. Thankfully, that is not the end. Christ has already entered the picture and called me His son. He already said that I am made whole and full of hope!

What do you think? Tough to remember sometimes?