The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

During the early part of COVID-19, I offered to watch each of my grandsons separately so they could have a break from each other. Although they love each other, being quarantined together 24/7 would be trying for anyone. As his mom was beginning to leave my house, Luke who was almost two years old at the time, began to whimper a bit. He saw the frozen frosted Christmas cookies I had pulled out of the freezer for his brother, Ben. Ben was at his home not feeling his best, so I was sending him some of his favorite cookies. Casey, my daughter-in-love, broke a piece off one the cookies and gave it to Luke. A huge smile appeared on his face as he confidently said, “Donut!”

I replied, “No Lukie, not a donut, but a cookie.” He could not be swayed to my thinking even as he munched on the cookie. With a mouthful of cookie crumbs, he walked around my downstairs saying the word “donut” many times because the frosting on the cookie reminded him of frosted donuts.

As adults, so often we do that. We misjudge an object, a person, or a situation because it reminds us of something or someone else, and while there may be similarities on the surface like frosting on the cookie, it does not mean we are accurate in our view.  After a first glance, we must dig a little deeper to see if our perception is correct. Many times, our first impressions can be slightly off based and unfair. Only God can see the whole picture. Because he is all-knowing, he can see the heart of each person. If he thinks it is important to look beneath the surface of a person, shouldn’t we try to as well?

Omniscient God, so often we want to think our first impression is the correct impression. Help us to care and look at the heart of each person. Amen.