Substance Over Style
Have you watched any television lately? If so, you know that the commercials bombard us with the notion that our value in society, and level of happiness in life, comes from the amount of stuff we accumulate. It is not just how much we can accumulate; we are also told by advertisers that certain brand names (their brand of course!) of products imply success and happiness. If you don’t like the way you look, no problem, there is probably a pill, cream or surgery that will “restore your youthful beauty and vigor.” And no matter what it is that you are being seduced into buying, if you don’t have the money, no problem either, financing is available.
Our culture puts an excessively high value on style over substance. Outwardly many of us “look good” in the eyes of the world, but inside we do not look or feel so good. We have accumulated many things but when we put our heads on our pillow at night, we still feel a sense of emptiness.
You likely at some point owned a pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, those high-topped canvas athletic shoes made by Converse. These shoes are named after Charles Hollis “Chuck” Taylor, a semi-professional basketball player, who in the early 1920s joined the Converse Corporation to promote the new “Converse All Star” basketball shoe that offered more flexibility and ankle support than other shoes on the market. And in 1932, his name was added to the ankle patch, and thus, the iconic shoe was born.
Unlike most other athletic footwear, “Chucks,” as they are called, have a thick rubber sole and ankle covering canvas, intended to provide comfort, flexibility, and support. These shoes gained popularity because of how they fit (substance) and not because of how they looked (style). You can still find “Chucks” at most shoe retailers, but most often these days they worn, in a wide variety of colors, as fashion statements, rather than for increased flexibility and support. Today, in so many things, we are more concerned about style than we are substance, perception rather than reality.
God, on the other hand, chooses substance over style. While the world looks at the outside of people, He cares about what is inside: who we are becoming. A story in the Old Testament gives us this insight. When God was choosing the next king to replace Saul, He asked the prophet Samuel to assist in choosing one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king. God said that He would show Samuel which son to anoint. The story tells us that the oldest seven of Jesse’s sons paraded in front of Samuel; these were big strong and muscular young men, but God did not choose any of them. Finally, the youngest son, a scrawny little shepherd boy named David, came before Samuel and God said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12).
Now why would God choose the little kid over the big tall and muscular brothers? In 1 Samuel 16:7, God gives us the answer – “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” God looks at our character over our appearance. He looks at our substance over our style.
What is on the inside matters more than what is on the outside. In God’s economy, opposite of the culture’s economy, it is substance over style. So, I ask you this – Are you committed to the things that God values or to things that the world values?
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