Do you make a judgement with just one glance?
Are you the type of person who judge people by their appearance? What do you use as a ruler? The latest fashion, color of hair or skin, or maybe glasses or no glasses? How do you know what to compare what you are looking at with, Hollywood, New York Fashion Week, or Vogue Magazine? As much as we would like to think we are not judgmental or bias we all are to a certain extent. The real problem with this type of knee jerk judgement is we can be dead wrong! Someone who is the epitome of fashion, so well put together they look like they just stepped out of a fashion plate, can be rotten to the core. Their appearance may have nothing to do with their personality.
How about the car they drive, does that factor into your equation of a sweet kind loving person? I knew a person who would wear her husband’s old pants and shirts, work hard way up into her nineties, and if you would see her home, you would think she were impoverished. Looks can be deceiving, she was frugal, not impoverished, but the one thing you could see plain as the nose on your face was her big heart and welcoming smile. She never judged anyone and only made you feel warm and happy you were with her.
The Bible tells us that: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Meaning, it doesn’t matter what act you put on, the proof is in the pudding! God sees the heart not the outer shell.
I have a daughter who is small in stature, weight, and demure in her personality, but it would be a mistake for anyone to take her for weak, cowardly or incapable of doing anything! She is fiercely protective of her family, loyal to her friends, and tenacious in everything she does! Your first glance of her may make you think she would be an easy mark, but believe me, that would be a mistake for anyone to assume, regardless of their size or shape!
Life is handled by different people in different ways. The real shame is when we look one time, judge and never get to know the person behind the bad hair, glasses or unfashionable clothes. Just because someone does not excel in sports should not make them unpopular! Their abilities and interest may lie in other things, like science, art or music. Much of the school problems we have today is because students and teachers alike prejudge people before they have ever had a conversation with them. Some even go so far as to take someone else’s opinion about a person, instead of forming their own.
I wish I could say I have never done anything like this in my life, or had it done to me, but the fact is, we all are guilty of this! If we want things to be better, we are the ones who have to take the first step into the uncomfortable realm of putting yourself out there to get to know the lonely, quiet, and painfully shy people we come into contact with. Guns only carry out the thoughts of a misguided, mistreated, and misunderstood person. We must be the voice of love, compassion and friendship! Get to know what is under the outer cover they hide behind! Let’s all save our judgements, and opinions to ourselves, and especially out of the social media unless it is uplifting!
As parent we need to teach our children to be respectful of other people’s feelings and never make fun of their inability to excel at something. If your child has a talent or excels at something, help them understand that their gift is God-given and should be shared, by helping others. Teach them what we call the Golden rule, about treating others as they would want to be judged or treated.
We as authors sometimes use this type of prejudging to drive home the unfairness of this act by making our heroes and heroines shed their outer shell to reveal their true inner beauty and potential. Let’s make sure we are careful of this in our real lives, not judging people by their outer shells or covers, but by their insides.
When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
Proverbs 26:25-26
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 23:28
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.
I Samuel 16:7
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
I Chronicles 28:9