Between You And God #4

Dear God, There’s a new girl in my class who still wears out-of-style clothes. If I make friends with her, I’ll be stuck. What should I do?

One day at a fair a lot of different kinds of people walked around looking at booths, tasting food, and listening to live music.

A man with tattoos up and down his arms showed up. He had on black boots with studs on the sides, and his head was shaved. As he walked by, his T-shirt came into view. It said, “Body Piercing Saved My Life.” Some people decided that this guy was scary and weird, and they wouldn’t meet his gaze. When they looked up after he passed by, it was easy to catch the picture on the back of his T-shirt.

It was a picture of Jesus on the cross.

Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced. The truth is, Jesus’ body piercing saved my life too. But it’s easy to make snappy judgments against people, some of whom may be your brothers and sisters in Christ, based only on their appearance.

The truth is, people judge others by the outside all the time. But the Lord teaches that what is most important isn’t our clothing. It’s our thoughts, our intentions, our deeds, our spirits, our hearts. God says that he cares more about what is inside than what is outside. Because he cares about his children treating one another with love, and because we are to imitate him, he shows us how to care for others too. When we do, we are more like him and closer to him. Give the new girl a chance. Before you make a decision, follow his lead and see what’s on her inside.

You might be surprised!

How about You?

What kind of things are easy for you to judge other people by? Do you feel closer to or farther away from God when you judge other people?

God Says . . .

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 16:7