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“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” ~ I Samuel 16:7

Today’s post involves a bit of oversharing – sorry about that.

I am currently having a plantar wart removed from the bottom of my foot.  All home remedies have failed, so I ended up turning to the big guns and went to a dermatologist.  Yesterday was my second treatment – apparently it was thicker than the dermatologist initially estimated, thus forcing her to freeze it for a second time (and threaten me with the possibility of a third).  Now, the first time she did this, it was relatively painless.

Not so, yesterday.  In fact, by the end of the day, I was limping; it hurt so badly.  The doctor had told me to expect blisters with the pain, so as I reached the end of the day I was prepared to see some searing wounds, to go along with the pain.

Imagine my surprise when there was literally nothing to see!

My toe looked as benign as could be, with absolutely nothing to show for the fact that I was walking around with my foot flexed to avoid touching the ground with it.  I felt like such a wimp, that something could cause so much discomfort, and yet be completely invisible.

It brought to mind today’s verse, and the way we often treat other people.

Oftentimes, we only afford grace to those who we see as needing it – that their lives outwardly reflect the suffering they are going through.  But many times, people suffer in silence, living through difficult situations without a word of complaint – or a smidge of support.  We see that they have a nice house or good job, or any other trappings of success, and deem them unworthy of our sympathy.  They haven’t shown us enough evidence of pain.

But God looks at our hearts – and He knows what we’re going through.  He sees and understands our hurts and heartaches.  Even when it is invisible to all around us, He is deeply moved by what we face each day.  It’s why He sent His Holy Spirit, to follow after Christ returned to heaven.  God knew we would need help – and need it often.  He didn’t want to leave us alone.

Wherever you’re at, whatever you’re going through, God is there by your side.  He sees each tear that falls, and wants you to know that you are loved.