HOW'S YOUR APPEARANCE?

I think appearance is important and I guess I always have. I mean you only have one chance to make a first impression, and it is proven that first impressions do count. Appearance is so much more than the clothes you wear, it's the way you carry youself, the body language you project it is your visual projection of how you view yourself. Have you ever stopped to think what your appearance says about you? If you just meet yourself what would you think? Would you think you were a party girl, business woman, soccer mom or maybe a stick in the mud? Do you project not only your fashion sense, but also your love of life and your interests? Do you let your health, humor, joy & passions be seen in your appearance? When was the last time you took a long hard look in the mirror? I've heard people say that mirrors are for "the vain" and they never look into them. I don't buy it. Mirrors are very reflective and usually don't lie, (unless of course you are in a dressing room and they make you look slimmer, which I don't always mind) but most often I think people don't want to see what's looking back at them.

I'm going to challenge myself and you to take some long looks in the mirror these next few weeks. Observe how you look on different occassions. Are you putting out the image you think you are? Do your clothes, your grooming and your body reflect how you care for, think about and view yourself? If you are seeing something that doesn't seem right, use it as a catalyst to change that which you don't like. Are you taking care of yourself as well as you can? Are you putting forth the image that shows you in your best light and reveals the true you?

I believe, most often, our appearance is an outer reflection of our inner beliefs. Ah yes, there is another place that our appearance is looked at. God correctly says that man looks at the outward appearance, but, the Lord looks on the heart. So how can we see the appearance of our heart? Where do we find a mirror to look at our heart and see what God sees? The bible says, "My words shall express the uprightness of my heart, and my lips shall speak what they know with utter sincerity". Job 33:3

So humm, I guess that means that maybe a tape recorder would be the best way to see our heart. Words are powerful, words can alter lives in ways that are too numerous to list. What do your words say about you? If you taped all the words you uttered for a week what would you think about yourself? Would you be pleased or do you think you would cringe?

So now, let's add to that challenge to take a long look at our outer appearance; to also take a close listen to the words that come out of our mouth. Are they edifying, postive, grateful and used for good or the opposite? Maybe a good thing to do this year would be to strive for balance with our inner appearance and our outer appearance. Live with love, joy & purpose. Try it and let me know how it goes! Much Love, The Hungry Heart

Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing unto you, O Lord my rock and my redeemer".