What is most precious in a gift is what is hidden under the packaging. But that doesn’t mean the packaging doesn’t count! The presentation says a lot about who is giving the gift. And this is also true when you are giving yourself!
Several expressions encourage us not to look at the container, but rather to consider the content. For example, we sometimes hear “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. And it’s absolutely true, just because a gift is very well wrapped doesn’t mean it’s worth more than a gift that isn’t. Sometimes, in gift exchanges, some people even purposely wrap their precious gift in a sloppy way to surprise the recipient. But even then, the packaging has been thought through.
The gift is sometimes what the recipient had asked for or is something we give because we value the person we are giving it to. But the packaging shows the thought, time and creativity the donor put into the gift. If we receive a gift wrapped in a plastic bag, what does that tell us about the person giving that gift? It tells us they didn’t take the time to wrap it up. Even a wrapping made by a 4-year-old child looks better than a plastic bag because we can notice the time and effort that went into wrapping it.
Conversely, if we receive a very finely wrapped gift, with branches, ribbons, small pearls, or sweets… we may have the impression that the person bought it as such or put way too much effort to wrap it. We might not even want to open the gift, or we will doubt the value of the contents. This pretentious display seeks a reward of praise. The attention goes to the giver, instead of leaving the honors to the person who receives the gift.
All this is a beautiful representation of our life. Especially when we are single! Our friendship is the ultimate gift we want to give to others. And our love is what we are ready to give to our best friend. That is what is most important; our heart is what is the most valuable. “…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b NKJV). Ultimately, we shouldn’t judge a person’s worth by their appearance.
But that doesn’t mean we should neglect appearance either. The care that a person puts into their appearance tells us a lot about their character. Someone who takes the time to look their best tells us that they have good self-esteem and are likely to take care of their loved ones too. When we present ourselves at our best, it is also a way of demonstrating our respect for others. Like the story about the wedding of a prince in the Bible. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:11-13 NKJV).
It’s not just a recommendation for singles. As singles, we are the lamps that contain the fire of the Holy Spirit. The important thing is the fire, but the lamp should not be neglected. Before seeing the Holy Spirit, people go to see the temple. If the presentation of the temple is inviting, they will approach to know the heart of the temple. So from now on, shine and love yourself enough to always be at your best!