Don’t judge a book by its cover.

 

Do you judge people based on the 1% of them that you can see? The skin covering, facial features or physical characteristics that make up a person’s body?

Think about this for a minute. Ever hear the expression don’t judge a book by its cover? You should not judge a person by what they look like. The “scale” of a person’s physical attractiveness or what their skin covering on their human form looks like has very little to do with who a person really is.

I know, mankind judges people on physical beauty or attractiveness but it’s really quite wrong to do so. That layer of skin, hair or eyes or the way one’s cheek bones are designed has nothing to do with a person.

You can have the most beautiful men or ladies on earth… I am talking nines and tens as far as the scale in mankind’s eyes goes… and yet perhaps they know it and this gives them ego or a feeling of superiority over others. Perhaps they are narcissistic or self-absorbed and infatuated with themselves. Perhaps they are so used to having their “pick” of who they hang out with or perhaps they really are just rotten people or…

You can have the most homely people on the scale… I am talking ones and twos as far as man’s eyes see … and perhaps they have had a lonely life with not many friends, not too popular. Who knows?

Do you judge people that are young one way and those that are older another way? Do you look past folks that are 65, 75 or older? Not want anything to do with people like that?

I know some 55 year olds that act like, and have the maturity level of, a 16-18 year old child.

I know some folks that are in the low 20’s and yet have a soul, wisdom and mental maturity level of those that are decades older than them.

I know ugly people that have beautiful inner countenances and outlooks on life and I can tell you as God is my witness, I have met some “perfect 10’s” that I found so repulsive and disgusting as human beings in the first few hours of me knowing them… I had to reject them and just walk away and cut myself off from them forever. It was that horrible to be around them.

The Bible tells us: “he that despiseth man despiseth God that made him”. This means that if you hate, dislike or despise someone based on how they look as a human being, you dislike what the Creator has done with that particular piece of clay. We are all nothing more than animated dirt balls; walking around thinking we are special, “hot” or smart. The Bible condemns this view of ourselves saying “puffed up in the vanity of our minds”. Are you puffed up in the vanity of your mind?

Or are you humble? “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble”. So would you like to be proud or humble then? I mean that if the Bible tells us that the creator of the universe actually resists people that are proud and if the Bible condemns pride in great detail in scores of verses and also tells us that God appreciates and is willing to help out those that are actually humble, well, what manner of person do you think you and I should be?

“Let each esteem other better than themselves” is another Bible verse. Do you attempt in any way to operate like this? Esteeming other men or women as better than you? …and you beneath them? …you being their servant?

Humbling thoughts are they not?

I try very, very hard to look past the 1% of the human being I see before my eyes. I try so hard to not see skin color or whether their skin tone is beautiful or full of blemishes. I try so hard not to judge based on attractiveness level. I try not to even judge a man or woman based upon their perceived age or status in life.

I talk to anyone and everyone I possibly can. All the time. I have no shame, no embarrassment and no feelings that tell me I should not talk to someone; young, old, rich, poor, male, female, pretty or ugly… short or tall, fat or skinny, morons or intellects. I care not. I try super hard to be the same level of kind, friendly, outgoing, smiling, and caring with all.

Over the years of being this way, I notice an amazing array of responses from various folks. They almost don’t know what to make of it! Many folks respond well and many do not! And this teaches me a lot about people.

Within 5 to 10 minutes of talking to someone I can discern an incredible amount of information about them. I can figure out rather quickly if they are kind or unfriendly, happy or irritable, open or closed, happy or sad, confident or shy as can be. I can figure out if someone likes to communicate or if they would rather have me drop dead, dry up and blow away. I never force myself upon anyone. Some conversations (because of the way people are) last just 30 or 60 seconds and I see… not this one; not interested in sharing anything with another human being and I will just let that conversation drop in a heartbeat. I’m never mean about it though; I will still be my kind self but will quickly let it go. That’s normal and right.

Perhaps you could open up a bit? Come out of the shell you are in? Try it? See if it brings you any happiness or joy as a human being to see through people’s “ways” (for lack of a better conceptual term).

In the spring of 2018 my wife and kids and I walked into a candy shop. While chatting with the girls I noticed two shy ones and one very bold one. I cannot explain well how the conversation went as I am kinda crazy and tend to jump right into wild things, but I can tell you that in two minutes flat I had Grace, my daughter, and the other girl behind the counter agreeing to sing for us all in the shop. And so it started… and out it went! At the top of their lungs they both sang out a song to the absolute shock of the entire candy shop as well as the two other girls behind the counter whose jaws were open wide in shock and disbelief at this all. I could see in their minds they must have been thinking “what the heck is going on here?”

But it sure was fun and Grace was offered an instant job! The one who was in charge said “you got it, if you want it!” because she saw my daughter had no fear and no shame about singing out loud in front of dozens of strangers. I think I did well, training my little girl.

One thing is for sure…

I try hard everywhere I go! I make sure to break up the monotony of a boring life! Half the people I meet love it, the other half hate it. So what? One thing is for sure, I won’t be boring.

People will remember the interactions they have with me. It’s certainly out of the ordinary; not your common interactions I assure you!

Do you go through life boring and milk-toast? Is your life monotonous and as predictable as can be? Are the interactions you have with others, the standard expected norm? Or do you try and spread some cheer, joy, excitement wherever you go?

Next time you go out and deal with folks in this world try to look past the physical appearance and see that the person in front of you is a soul; with a Spirit inside of them and is filled with hopes, ambitions, wishes and dreams as well as hurts and regrets and sadness that you cannot even imagine. Can you pull out of that person something that can help them? Can you offer someone help or kindness that sincerely brightens their day?

Have you ever tried to love your neighbor as yourself and see what that does?

I hope I gave you something to think about this day, but to finish on the “Judgment” note once again…

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

God does not see as man sees. Man looks and judges people on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart of someone instead.

 

I’m done. Thanks for reading! If you want to read a few verses from “The Good Book” on what God thinks and says about this, here you go:

 

Romans 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.”

James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin”

Proverbs 28:21 “To have respect of persons is not good”

Proverbs 24:23 “These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. ”

Ephesians 6:9 “And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.”

1 Peter 1:17 “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear”

James 2:1 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”

2 Chronicles 19:7 “Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.”

Colossians 3:25 “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

Deuteronomy 1:17 “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s”

Deuteronomy 16:19 “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”