Who is going to love you when your looks are gone?
August 25, 2018
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Micah 6: 8
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
We walk humbly with God when we depend on Him to guide how we live, when we have a heart that is focused on justice and mercy for all. We do that don’t we? Well we do some of the time when the world and all its concerns doesn’t get in the way.
Listen to Paul Simon’s song 'Outrageous'. It starts off as a protest for social justice “its outrageous to line your pockets off the misery of the poor”, then quite deliberately moves to the superficial, his concerns about his appearance and his vain attempts to stay young. The song moves through several themes then comes back to point out that age will always catch up with us and asks “who’s gonna love you when yours looks are gone?” and his answer is that “God will”.
How much of our time, effort, energy and money do we spend on outward show; clothes, make up, hair dye, manicures? The answer is that for many people (and no gentlemen, not just the ladies) it is a lot.There is nothing wrong with being well groomed but it is perhaps worth actively considering how we act justly when we do so.
Where was the product made and by whom? Are we contributing to sweatshop labour by purchasing a particular brand? Or conversely are we helping a farmer to get a fair price by purchasing a different one?
In a quiet moment today you might want to reflect for a few minutes on how much of your time, effort, energy and money is spent on the things that the Lord requires.
Forgive us that we often focus far too much on the outward
It’s outrageous that young children work to make us cheaper clothes
Help us to look honestly at our own lives and at our own choices
It’s outrageous that in a world of plenty, so many people starve
We know what you require of us Lord
It’s outrageous that we sometimes ignore this and the needs of others
Amen.
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