Judge not by appearance

In today’s first reading, 1 Sam 16: 1-13, God challenged Samuel: “How long will you grieve for Saul…”   I may ask myself: Am I clinging to my grief and thus holding myself back from God’s plan for my future?  God says to Samuel: “I rejected Saul as king of Israel. Fill your horn with oil [the strength of the Spirit, the strength of faith] and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”   Repeatedly, as the seven sons of Jesse passed in front of Samuel, God  whispered to Samuel’s heart: “Do not judge by appearance or from lofty stature.”  This passage has a strong message for those seeking a marriage partner, a companion for life.  How often does a marriage end in divorce and the divorcee knew prior to the marriage that the person really was not the right one but made a choice based on external appearance and not from the heart.  How often do I not make that mistake. The person is tall, beautiful to behold, has curly hair, has the “perfect body,” has several advanced degrees, speaks articulately, etc. And so, I quickly succumb to that which is readily obvious and put myself down, judge myself negatively, reject what I have been given by God for His service.   How often, also, do I not abandon that to which the Spirit is guiding me because I’m afraid of being judged by what can be seen and so I ignore my heart’s direction. The same dynamics can happen when one is choosing a career or a religious community in which to consecrate one’s life to the Lord. Appearance is a powerful factor and one can ignore the Spirit’s inner direction of what is right for me.