Beyond What You See

Read: 1 Peter 3:3-4

Luca’s grandfather patted the tire of the four-wheeler he had purchased. “I found this quad online and got a good deal on it,” he said with a smile.

Luca wasn’t so sure. The fenders were dented, and the seat had a tear in it. The rack behind the seat was bent, and a headlight was cracked. “It doesn’t look very good,” he said. “Why didn’t you buy a new quad, Grandpa?”

“Well, this was much less expensive than a new one, and the engine is in excellent running condition. It also gives us something to work on together. It just needs a little body work, that’s all. We’ll get it all fixed up. You’ll see.”

Luca wasn’t convinced. “It looks awfully banged-up to me,” he said as he began to polish a black helmet that had come with the four-wheeler.

“You’ve got to learn to see beyond outward appearances,” said Grandpa. “Put on that helmet and hop on. I’ll give you a ride.”

Luca slid on behind his grandfather. After a drive through the field across the road, Luca was impressed with the quiet, steady hum of the dented-up quad. “This runs really well!” he said.

“Just goes to show that you should never judge things by appearance alone—and that includes people,” said Grandpa. “I didn’t like the looks of this quad myself when I first saw it. But when I heard it run, it was music to my ears!” He grinned. “Know any people like that?”

“Well, Aaron, I guess,” Luca replied. “He’s new in my class, and when I first saw him I thought he’d be mean. But we started talking, and now we’re friends.”

“We need to see people like God does,” said Grandpa. “He doesn’t judge us by the way we look. He sees way beyond that. He sees what’s in our hearts and what we can become—just like we see what this beat-up quad can become. Jesus can make anyone a new person. He made us new people when we trusted in Him, and He wants us to treat everyone in a way that shows them His love.”

“You’re right, Grandpa,” Luca said. “You’re always right!”

Grandpa laughed. “You go on inside now and tell that to your grandma!”

–Vicki Reinhardt

How about you? Do you judge people by the way they look? We often focus on appearance when we look at others, but not God. He looks at our hearts. You can’t see inside hearts like He does, but you can look past a person’s outward appearance and see how much they’re loved by Jesus. Treat everyone in a way that shows them His love. You might even end up with a new friend!

Today's Key Verse: People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Look beyond looks