God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 NCV
I am sure you have heard the famous saying:
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”
I suppose the famous example of this was Susan Boyle on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. A quote from a YouTube video said this “You’d be forgiven for judging the book by the cover when you meet 47-year-old Susan. Having never married, sharing a flat with her cat has given her a cheeky sense of humour, and even the judges were ready to write her off until that is – until she began performing her rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables”. One judge said after hearing Susan sing “how cynical they had all been till Susan started singing.” If you have never watched that performance you really should:
So “you shouldn’t prejudge the worth or value of something, by its outward appearance alone”.
Outward appearances can be misleading. There are tall people, short people, large people, thin people. People dress differently, eat different foods and speak in different languages.
When we meet people who are different from us, it’s good to get to know them and find out what they are really like, rather than jumping to conclusions.
As one of the judges said on that Susan Boyle video “a wake-up call indeed”.
It was a stark reminder that you shouldn’t prejudge the worth or value of something, by its outward appearance alone”
In the Bible, we have another perfect example.
God has decided to choose a new King for Israel. He told the Prophet Samuel to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, because He had chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king of Israel. When Samuel arrived in Jerusalem, he went to Jesse’s house and told him to bring his sons so that God could tell him which one He had chosen. As each of Jesse’s sons passed by, God told Samuel that he was not the one. Samuel could not understand it. They were all such handsome men and very strong. Surely one of them must be the one. But God said to Samuel, “Don’t consider his looks. I have rejected him. Man looks at outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
After seven of Jesse’s sons had passed before him, there were no more sons in the house. Samuel turned to Jesse and asked him, “Are these all of the sons you have?”
“Well, there is David, my youngest son,” Jesse replied, “but he is just a boy. He is out taking care of the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse to send for David. In a little while, David came in and stood before Samuel. “He is the one,” God said. “He will be the next king of Israel. Rise and anoint him with oil.”
He wasn’t the oldest, he wasn’t the tallest, and he wasn’t the strongest. He was only a shepherd boy. But when God looked at David, He saw a king. Why? Because God does not look on outward appearances, God looks at the heart.
There are many things in life we could miss out on just because we don’t like the look of them. So don’t judge a book by its cover and miss out on life.
Keep safe and blessed.