But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7).
My husband Dave has a tremendous capacity for pegging a diamond in the rough. He has been involved in Scouting for years and has watched many young men develop from young, insecure boys into confident, successful adults. Many of these guys have stayed in touch over the years, sharing with us milestone events like college graduations, marriages and the birth of children.
There was one particular young man who came up through the troop years ago. I’ll call him John (not his real name). He had two brothers who had gone through Scouting with him, and while he is very brighty, he always seemed to end up on the short end of the stick in terms of accomplishments, and especially in his relationship with his family. He ended up homeless and drug-addicted, but every once in a while, he would make a concerted effort to clean up his act.
Dave always saw something in this young man and was always willing and eager to help him out. I have to admit that I wasn’t so sure, but I told my husband that I trusted him and would support whatever decisions he made with respect to John. Sometimes it meant giving John a bit of money to help him over a rough spot, providing food or clothing. Dave spent a lot of hours with this young man, teaching him skills to help him become a certified electrician. Although he would "fall off the wagon" every now and then, John always found the inner strength to get up and try again. Today he is drug-free and has a steady as an electrician in a friend’s general contract business. He is also a wonderful father to his own young son.
I am proud of my husband for sticking by John when no one else would. That fidelity reminds me of how God stands by us, even when we occasionally backslide in our life’s journey. I think that must be how the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son saw things too. Even after the son squandered his inheritance by a life of perdition, his father never wrote him off. I can just imagine him walking out to the edge of his property every day, waiting to see if this was the day his son would return. Clearly, he saw the goodness in his son, and believed that would win out in the end.
As long as we are willing to get up and keep running the race, the Lord is there ready and willing to pick us up, dust us off, and give us what we need to continue the journey. So let’s pray for the grace to see with God’s eyes when we encounter difficulties with our children, with co-workers and others who we find troublesome. Jesus does not give up on them (or us). Because we are called to imitate Christ, neither should we.
Prayer Request: That we learn to look “into the heart” just as God does.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You for looking into our hearts and seeing our desire to love and serve Yu, even in those times when our actions don’t match our intentions. We pray that You purify our hearts so that what we do will more and more reflect our deepest desires and intentions. Help us to see one another as You see us, that we might grow in love of You and in love of our neighbor. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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