The Lord recently put this scripture on my heart: “The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
We have been conditioned to focus on the external. Therefore, our perceptions and opinions are made from first impressions, which are most often formed from an outward appearance or behavior.
There is an adage that my mother used to say, “You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.” According to a university study, people make eleven decisions about a person in the first seven seconds of meeting, thus “The 7/11Rule.”
Jesse, the Bethlehemite, came to the prophet Samuel, and God revealed to Samuel that one son out of Jesse’s nine sons would be king. So, when eight of the nine sons lined up before Samuel, he looked at Eliab, who was the oldest and strongest, and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” 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” (I Samuel 16:6-7 NIV).
Samuel went through eight of Jesse’s sons and had not yet found God’s chosen. So, he asked if Jesse had anymore sons to which he replied that the youngest was tending sheep. Samuel told Jesse to call him and when David arrived, the LORD said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” David may not have looked like king material, but God saw the heart of a lion who passionately loved Him.
There was a time when I was very shy, so people would interpret my shyness as stuck up and aloof. There had been so many instances in my young life where I was ridiculed and rejected, that I feared any interaction with people. One girl said, “When I first met you, I thought you were stuck up. But now that I know you, I realize that you are not that way at all.”
It is very easy to form an incorrect good or bad first impression, because first impressions have a high probability of being completely wrong. Although there are times when a first impression is correct, the Lord cautions us not to be quick to judge as did the Prophet Samuel, for God truly looks at the content of a person’s heart.
First impressions can be unreliable, because we do not know a person’s current circumstances, nor do we know past events that have made them the person we see. Did they come out of an abusive relationship? Possibly they received bad news. Maybe their home life was or is currently difficult and even abusive. Maybe their salary is not meeting their everyday needs. Perhaps they are exhausted working two or more jobs to make ends meet. They might be grieving over the loss of a loved one. Or maybe they discovered that their spouse is cheating. The list of reasons for their demeanor is endless.
Several years ago, I was checking out at a grocery store, and I quickly formed a first impression about the cashier because she was rude and acted annoyed that she had to be working. As I irritatedly waited for her to finish scanning the groceries, God chastised me and spoke into my judgmental heart, “You have no idea what she is dealing with at home. Don’t judge her; pray for her.”
Abby Lewis, founder of Be Love Give Love wants people to know that we must be a vessel of God’s love so that we can give love to others. She says, “I would encourage people to build each other up. Treat others the same way they would want to be treated. Be kind and compassionate to one another. And always…be love and give love.”
The elderly, the disabled, and those with special needs are the disenfranchised who are often scorned and ignored. They are among the many hurting people who yearn for an encouraging word and a kind look. Who else can show them compassion, grace, acceptance, patience, kindness, and love unless Christians make the effort? For Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). God values each one of us and loves us unconditionally. Therefore, as Christians, we are to value and love others without putting conditions on that love.
Life experiences are different for every person. Negative and upsetting events happen to all of us and even more so in this upside-down world. For that reason, it can be very easy to become jaded, rushed, and impatient with others. That is why it is necessary to pray for others and to focus less on what makes us uncomfortable, frustrated, and impatient and consider what life would be like without God’s patience, mercy, and great love for us.
Jesus commissioned all Christ followers to treat others with love and compassion. He told the disciples about the end of time and said, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep (followers of Christ) from the goats (those who have rejected Christ). He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King (Jesus) will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I wasnaked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
Then [the disciples] asked, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me’” (Matthew 25:31-45 NKJV).
The bottom line is that God created us in His image and loves every human being. When we disregard and mistreat others with disrespect and indifference, we show the same disregard, disrespect, and indifference to our Savior. For that reason, God is calling His Church to be love and to give His love to a hurting world that is in desperate need of love and hope.
PRAYER: FATHER, help me to be a vessel of love who extends kindness, compassion, grace, patience, and love to others. Help me to have a tender heart towards people who struggle in life and remember to pray for others, especially those who are the rudest and the most intolerable, because they are the ones who are hurting the most. In Jesus’ name, amen.