Are we more focused on how it looks on the outside, than what is going on inside?

When we see a flower, our attention is on the outside; The color, the fragrance. Flowers are beautiful. They are so beautiful, we cut them and put them in our homes and give them to loved ones. Ironically, it is this outside beauty that kills the flower.

The flower gets its beauty from the roots. What happens on the inside is what made the flower beautiful.

The same is true for us. Our beauty starts at our roots and comes from the inside. Where are we putting our roots? What do we have on the inside?

This morning I attended an online church service with Cranston Christian Fellowship Church. The focus was on living an inviting life.

We read from Matthew 9:10- “And Jesus reclined at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples”.

The lesson today was to live like Jesus. Invite others into your life. Do not concern yourself with how things look on the outside, but what is happening at the roots. What is going on inside?

It got me thinking about social media, my own accounts included. We use these platforms to show our highlight moments, showing our outer beauty. We never really know what someone is dealing with, or what is going on inside. My favorite experiences in social media have been in closed groups where we all feel safe enough to let our guard down. Emotions are raw. Connections happen. We look beyond the flower and dig deep into the roots. It turns out that is where the real beauty lies.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the message this morning. I am thankful to have your word shared so I may learn from You while at home. Thank you Jesus, for living as an example, inviting others into Your presence. Welcoming all people with no judgments. Lord I ask You to humble me. To show who I really am- on the inside- and to see others for who they are- on their insides. Help us, as a people, to recognize the beauty that is seen when we dig deep and connect at the roots. In Jesus name, Amen.