Do you judge a book by the cover?

Most people do. We’re perusing Amazon. Multiple book covers are in front of us, and we make a snap decision on how to respond to the book based on the cover.

Now, take the judgment question deeper.

Do you judge a person based on appearance?

I know we’d all like to say no, but sometimes, we tend to make quick judgments. We naturally draw assumptions based on appearance. Clothes, body language, and speech leave us with a first impression that can be difficult to move past. Judgment is made before actually getting to know the person.

We are not the only ones who have struggled with this. When Samuel looked at David’s brothers, he assumed one of them would be Israel’s next king, but the Lord had a different idea. As Israel’s next king is being revealed to Samuel, we find a great challenge for us.

“When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:6-7).

Spend a moment dwelling on the Lord’s words: “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

There’s the challenge. Look past the cover…

• Look past appearance.
• Look past limitations.
• Look past disability.
• Look past the first things we notice.

Look past a person’s outward appearance to a person’s heart. As Samuel and Jesse’s family were together, everyone had overlooked David. He was actually the one who stayed home to tend the sheep. People didn’t consider David, but God did.

You see, God specializes in seeing potential where others see obstacles.

What would happen if we looked at people through the Lord’s perspective? What if we focused less on flaws and more on possibilities?