David was "a man after God's own heart," (Acts 13:22) but had a weak external appearance. The Lord knew that Samuel was jumping to conclusions when he first saw David, which was why he instructed Samuel to look deeper at David. David was a pint sized shepherd compared to his brothers, but the Lord knew the heart that dwelled within his chest and that David's heart loved the Lord. It was his heart that forged the way for him to become a great king, not his outward stature. Samuel thankfully trusted the Lord and anointed David king, despite his original consensus about him.
I believe that society needs to remember this key story in the Bible and return to the old ways of "judging" someone's character. Too often in this day and age people are judged based on their outward appearance, rather than their true inner character. Snap judgements keep the media stories rolling with journalists no longer willing to dig beneath the surface. It's a shame when your character boils down to the clothing you opted to wear or the social circle you decided to surround yourself with. What ever happened to getting to know someone's heart and truly understanding their character before dismissing them after a glance?
Honestly, I feel bad for people in the media who are known only for their fashion sense because once their tastes go out of style, they have nothing to fall back on. Since people would rather see what they're wearing, as opposed to peeling away the layers to expose the person's heart, their identity gets lost in the melee. Too often we focus on how smooth someone is in conversation or how sharply they are dressed. The Bible warns us of this in Proverbs 31:30, which states, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Unfortunately this advice seems to fall on deaf ears since we all seem to be too engrossed in the superficial characteristics of high society.
I've endured my fair share of snap judgements. People have made up their own mind about who they think I really am based on superficial encounters, and I just laugh at their laziness in social settings. Rather than asking me about my interests, people run rampant with assumptions. Instead of learning that I wear bright neon colors because of my years as a runner and knowing that I refused to pass up an awesome $5 t-shirt deal in California, there was one person who automatically assumed I was gay based on the San Francisco shirt I wore one evening.
The flip-side to this is that I am also guilty of making snap judgements of others, which is a trait I'm determined to change. I need to dig deeper and make attempts at getting to know people for who they truly are, and not just what I see on the surface. I have come to realize that I'm a tough nut to crack, so why would anybody else be different? Personalities are deeply intricate and can't be revealed in a single day, let alone a five minute encounter. What comes to mind for me is a Saturday two weeks ago where I began my day working for Samaritan's Purse, went to a wedding, and then finished off my evening with dinner with my SP family. Throughout the course of the day, I went from wearing multiple layers of filthy work clothes, to a strapless red cocktail dress with heels, to jeans and a hoodie advertising the punk rock band, Icon for Hire. If anybody had encountered me in only one of those scenarios, they would assume they could make a judgement based on my appearance. But if somebody had seen me in all of those outfits, they would quickly realize that there's more than meets the eye.
This is why God so thoughtfully reminds us, especially women, how to base our judgements of others, and how to present ourselves to the outside world. The following is written in 1 Peter 3:3-4 ~ "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." God doesn't want us to be attention grabbing with our clothing ensembles. Rather, He wants us to have a gentle spirit to attract people to us, which is much more enchanting than any wardrobe. Your inner beauty will shine brighter than any jewels, and will serve the purpose of drawing others to God when they realize you possess something they don't have and they can't put their finger on it. Likewise, seek the true heart of others so that you don't miss out on all that their spirit has to offer. Look past the superficial and delve into the sincerity of their hearts.
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