“The Lord prefers common  looking people. That is why  he made so many of them.”  Abraham Lincoln

How did you react the last time you were misjudged because of your appearance?

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.”  (1 Sam. 16:7; NLT)

Last weekend Sharon and I were in San Diego and noted a relatively large number of homeless people sleeping on the streets and in the parks.  That observation, plus today’s link that we recently received from our good friend Joy Halstead, made me start to reflect on the question, “What would Jesus look like if He came back today.”  (By the way, Joseph Girzone wrote a fascinating novel some 20+ years back entitled Joshua, which was later made into an excellent movie, that speculated on this same question.)

Would we recognize Him or would we be like the two men on the road to Emmaus who spent a significant amount of time with Him before they realized whom they were with?  (Luke 24:31)  Would Jesus look anything like we envision Him?  What color would His skin be?  What would he be wearing?  A suit?  Blue jeans?  Cutoffs?   Would His hair be long?  If so, don’t you think it might be pulled back into a ponytail?  Oh my goodness!  What if He had an earring in His ear?  

What if He was a little unkempt…like a blue-collar construction worker who just finished a hard day’s labor?  If we didn’t recognize Him, would we jump to conclusions based on His appearance?  If someone looking like that showed up uninvited at our family picnic, would we welcome Him?  Would we allow Him to hold our children (or grandchildren) in His lap?  What if He reached for a beer from the cooler?

I’m probably carrying this too far for comfort, but I’m fairly sure that we would be quite surprised by His appearance, just as they were 2000+ years ago.  Recall that Isaiah gave the only physical description of Jesus when He wrote, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him” (53:2b).

We are all (I admit to being chief among you) guilty of judging people by their appearance…or their occupation…or their education…or their…whatever.  Think about that as you watch today’s link.  Have a great weekend!

Prayer Power
Lord, please forgive me for my propensity to judge a person based on how they look.  Even though I know it’s wrong, I still catch myself doing it…more than I like to admit.  Give me the grace to overcome this terrible habit.

Link of the Day
Phone Salesman Amazes Crowd

Blessings on you as you seek to replace judgment with love this day.