I attended a school orientation today for one of my kids. As people were filing into the building, I noticed a student wearing a t-shirt, pajama bottoms, and socks. I couldn't believe a young person would come to school like this. Immediately I thought, "Wow, this kid just doesn't get it."
Then the orientation program started. Everyone got quiet and focused on the speaker. After a little while, one of the ladies announced, "Today, we're having a fashion show to let you see what NOT to wear to school." One after another, students walked out in front of us all to model what was not acceptable clothing for school. Then, I saw her. Pajama girl walked out with a smile on her face. We all got a good laugh as the speaker reminded everyone not to show up in pajama bottoms to school.
I sat there and realized I jumped to a conclusion too quickly, and I unfairly formed a negative opinion about someone when I didn't know all the facts. It turned out, she was a cheerleader who was just doing what her coach told her to do. And she was bravely standing there in front of everyone to give us all an important reminder. What a good kid!
I could tell God was teaching me a lesson. And that was it: Don't be too quick to size people up and form opinions about them. There are reasons people look, act, talk, and live the way they do.
People aren't always what they may seem on the surface. So let's be slow to make up our mind about folks we see. Let's get to know people and learn their stories. When we do this, we'll usually see there's more to them than what meets the eye.
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