How's your heart?

I was studying about the life of King David today. When David was chosen to be king over the Israelites God gave a special instruction to the prophet Samuel. He reminded Samuel that we tend to look at outward appearance to decide who should be "king". God looks at the heart. Now to be fair God sees hearts a lot better than we do. But, what happens when we turn that advice inward and apply it to ourselves? When we think about what impresses God in our lives do we start with the condition of our heart? When we think about our qualification to serve God do we focus on the outside or inside? Maybe it's easier to survey the outside because we don't want to invest the time it takes to inventory the inside. I have a routine doctor's appointment tomorrow. I am certain that at some point in the exam someone will put a stethoscope up to my heart and listen to my heartbeat. Naturally that will require me to be still and quiet. The same thing is required in order for us to check our own heartbeat for God. We must be still and quiet. It is necessary to know God in order for our hearts to be transformed by God. In the words of Dallas Willard, "God does not ordinarily compete for our attention".