It's Not What You Look Like That Counts

My mother has had many difficulties since her second bone marrow transplant. One of them has been mood swings. One moment she is doing okay an the next minute she is in tears. She has felt that her life is meaningless, that it has no purpose at all. This of course is not true, but she is in such a state that she feels that she has done nothing to help humankind. When I hear her talk like this it hurts me deeply because my mother means the world to me. She has been a blessing to me and so many other people in so many ways. It was my dad that had to explain to me that she is on so much medication that it impacts her mood and how she thinks. My family and I do everything we can to encourage and support her. Another issue that has been difficult for her is how she looks. She has lost a lot of weight and she is red, blue, and purple all over due to all the bruising she has due to her condition. Her face and feet are swollen and her hair, the little that she has, is nothing like it was. He skin also bares the scars of past procedures and her finger and toe nails are a chalky yellow. Due to her condition she can't go to the dentist to have her teeth cleaned, so she is very concerned about the condition of her teeth and gums. When she looks in the mirror, the figure staring back at her is someone she does not know, and this is very painful for her. In I Samuel 16: 1-13, the prophet Samuel had a difficult mission. He had to anoint the next king of Isreal because King Saul had been rejected by God due to his sins. God sent Samual to the city of Bethlehem where he met a man named Jesse. Samual was to anoint one of Jesse's sons to be king and it wasn't the oldest as custom demanded, but the youngest, who was David. In verses 6-7 it states, "When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.' But the Lord said to Samuel,'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward apprearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" (NIV). David wasn't even gathered with his family when they met Samual, he was out in the fields tending the sheep. He had to be called so Samual could anoint him. God chose David because he was a man after God's own heart. It made no difference what he looked like or where he came from, it was the state of his heart that mattered to God. My mother has a loving and giving heart and that has not changed one bit during her ordeal. She has been such a blessing to so many people in so many ways her entire life. I am glad I can reminder her of what a blessing she is. I also remind her of God's word to keep her encouraged. It is very easy for us to feel bad about ourselves at times in our lives. When we do we must remember what God's word says and be enoucaged and be encouraging to others.