Have You Checked Your Armpits Today?

White shirts.... ahhhh, one of my wardrobe nemeses.... A white shirt has a very short shelf life in my particular closet. Why, you ask? Well............ see................ um....................

I sweat like a horse.  There, I said it.

It's a very unfortunate truth in my world of clothes and shoes. White shirts leave a particularly tell-tale sign of the sweat in the, um, underarm region? I don't know quite what color to call it other than dingy and that's not really even a color, is it now? It's disgusting. No matter what kind of stain repellent, pre-treatment, laundry detergent and even special deodorant I purchase, within a few weeks of purchasing a white shirt, I begin to see the signs of the sweat. Blech.

I have tried to pretend as though it doesn't bother me. I have preached to myself on many a morning with thoughts like...  "It's only sweat, right? Everyone sweats, even Princess Kate!" Hmph. "The shirt is clean, I know, I'm the one who washed it!" Hmph. "I wear deodorant and who's going to walk around checking other people's armpits to see if they sweat alot?" Hmph.

Yeah, now ask me if that ever did any good... Uh, nope.

You see, the bottom line, for me, is that the markings of a previously sweaty day look filthy. It's not necessarily that I'm dirty or that my clothes are dirty, but they look dirty. The simple truth is that I do care what others think when they meet me or have a first impression of me and I don't want that impression to be that I'm unclean or unkempt.

Looks can be deceiving. The way things look might not be the way that they are and I am often guilty of judging based upon the way things look. Now, before you assume I'm going to give the standard pep talk about not caring what others think and just being yourself, blah blah, let me stop you. :o) I'm going to go another direction with this particular subject today............ Gotta keep you guessing!

Appearances play a very important role in a believer's life. As a believer, I have a responsibility to avoid anything that might appear  I am living anything less than a life led by the Holy Spirit. I know the popular Scriptural quote reads... "Man sees the outward appearance, but God sees the heart." - a very true statement - However, the cold hard reality is that while my perfect heavenly Father sees the heart, my frail human  eyes don't give me that viewpoint and the outward appearances are often what I look at to size up a situation or an individual. It's only with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that I am able to catch a true glimpse into what the Father sees when He looks upon the heart of man.

Okay, time for an honesty check. Am I always led by the Holy Spirit? Nope. I am human. I make mistakes and size up situations incorrectly all the time. Does that ever happen to you? Have you ever had a first impression of a person that was so far off base you wanted to cry when you realized what the truth really was? I have. Too often. :o(

Once again, I am challenged by God's Word, not only to remember that only God truly sees the heart of man, but also that how things look truly does play a role in a believer's life.

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." -  1 Thessalonians 5:22

 I don't say this because I'm afraid of what a judgmental person might think of me, but rather because I don't want to be a stumbling block to my fellow believer or to someone who is on the verge of becoming a believer. If I concern myself with the fact that God knows my heart and my heart is truly pure, I won't want to do anything that might dishonor my heavenly Father's name, will I? I must use this as a check and balance in my daily walk with Christ. I shouldn't allow it to become the primary means for evaluating my heart condition, but rather as a little reminder as I look in the mirror.