The Wal-Mart Girl

By Guy K. Henry

www.guyhenry.com 

This past summer I went to Wal-Mart for some supplies. I quickly did my shopping, but the people I was with were there more for browsing purposes. I had some time to kill. I wandered off to the men's department, and started to compare prices on various sock deals. There was a lady nearby looking through a rack of clothes (all right, there were LOTS of ladies looking through the racks!) I hadn't paid her any notice until I heard a commotion in her direction. Onto the scene burst a little girl about eight years old.

"Oh Mother," she said out of breath," Look at this dress!" She was holding a long black dress, still on its hanger.

This was far more interesting than comparing the varieties of socks, so I was watching this typical interchange.

"Do you LIKE that dress?" her mother asked calmly.

"Oh, I LOVE it, I absolutely love it," the little girl cried out.

"Do you WANT that dress?" her mother asked.

"More than anything!" she said excitedly.

The next words that came from the mother's mouth almost caused me to collapse to the floor. She said, "That dress is for a pretty little girl." She paused. Then she said, "And you are NOT a pretty little girl. Now put it back." And she returned to browsing the clothes rack.

I stood there amongst the socks in shock. I am not very emotional, but there were tears in both of my eyes after witnessing this scene. It wasn't the cruel words uttered by the mother that bothered me most; it was the reaction of the child. If she had stomped her feet and said, "I can't believe that you said that!" I would have felt a little better. Perhaps her mother was having a real bad day, a spell of bad judgment. Instead the little girl's smile vanished, her shoulders dropped, and she turned and left, probably to hang the dress back up. That told me that she had heard this sort of thing before, probably often.

Since then I have prayed for that child, I never learned her name, but I am sure that God knows exactly who I am talking about when I ask Him to look after the 'Wal--Mart Girl' When I pray, I ask God for two things. One, that He brings her people who know how to express the love she desperately needs. Two, that he help her realize that what she was told was a big fat LIE.

While this experience has stuck in my mind, the actual lie is one that I have heard before, all my life. I turn on the television and there are people prancing about in their khaki jeans. Oh, they look so smooth and together. I wish I could be one of them, if only I had a pair of, you guessed it, khaki jeans. Or perhaps I could wish to be as suave as those people in the Calvin Kline Obsession ads are. Would a large bottle of Obsession remedy that?

Or how about when I shop for pants, and the sizes stop at 38. If I ask the salesperson where the larger sizes are I get some interesting answers. I'd have to endure a condescending glance that said clearly, "Perhaps if you weren't so HUGE you'd appreciate a greater selection of pants," while her mouth said, "Those sizes are over there." She smugly points to a rack of jeans suitable for Bozo the Clown.

All of these are LIES. In case you didn't realize it, we are no longer talking about jeans and cologne; we are talking about taking hits to one's self image. Who am I according to these messages? If I believe them, I am a big fat looser who can only wish to fit in. It is a lie. For the truth I turn to the Bible.

Take a look at 1 Samuel 16. God sends Samuel to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, to choose the next king of Israel from among his sons. Jesse proudly parades his oldest son, Eliab before Samuel. Eliab must have been big and strong. He must have looked very king-like because Samuel said. "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him." Samuel was impressed, but God was not. God said, "NO!" He actually said more than that, and we'll return to it in a moment.

Then came Abinadab, and then Shammah. "Not him," Samuel said to both. Almost all of Jesse's sons passed by, still the answer was "NO!"

"Is that all your sons?" asked Samuel.

Yes…" Jesse started to answer, "… well there is one more, the youngest is out in the field with the sheep." Jesse probably wanted to parade the older sons again; perhaps Samuel had missed it the first time.

Along came the youngest, David, and God said to Samuel, "Arise, anoint him: for this is he." God had chosen the smallest, youngest, least impressive looking and probably weakest son to be the next king.

Let's go back to verse 7. It says, "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

Won't you allow those words to be lifted off the pages and stamped on your heart? God said that man looks on the outside. No kidding! "What are you wearing?" "What video games do you have?" "How much money do you have?" "Nice hairdo!" I could go on and on. Man does look on the outside, and probably won't stop anytime very soon.

That verse goes on to say, "but the Lord looketh on the heart." I take great joy in that. It shows that this lie, like most, is not new. Satan has been using it for millennia. He has been sending people off in the wrong direction seeking physical and external things. Satan tells us to spend our time and; "Loose fifty pounds"  "Stop balding" "Just charge it!" "Buy a bigger house for all your stuff"  "Work longer, make more $$$$" and on and on. Often the lie causes us to do things that we know are wrong, but which will advance in the eyes of others.

And what is the right direction? Glad you asked! God is looking at the heart. Have you accepted Christ as savior? Are you living to please Him? Are the important things of God important to you? Now that is what matters.

More than that, Satan's lie seeks to demean who we are. If you have the forgiveness that Jesus offers through His death on the cross, you are one beautiful or handsome person. You are special, unique, valuable and important. God has purposes for you and your life. You have gifts and abilities like no other person. You are not replaceable and neither are you disposable. And most of all, you are loved, and yes, you are even lovable.

Are you like the Wal-Mart Girl? Have you been cruelly lied to? Do you drop your shoulders and loose your smile when Satan assaults you with the untruths? Do you walk around believing that you are small, unloved, and unattractive? Why not tell the devil he is a liar right now? Why not pray that God give you the eyes to see yourself as He sees you? God is excited about the future He has created for you. Remember that God made you on purpose, for a purpose.

There are words of healing in 1 Samuel 16:7b "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."