One of my favorite people in the Bible is David. He had a heart like God. Before he became king, before he killed Goliath, he was a shepherd. God had sent Samuel, a prophet, to go to Jesse’s house and anoint one of his sons that would be king one day. His son Eliab stepped forward and Samuel took one look at him, and because of his appearance, he thought surely this is God’s chosen one. But, God told him not to judge by his appearance. He went through all of Jesse’s sons and asked, Are these all the sons you have? God had chosen David, the youngest who was out in the field tending to his flocks.
If you have siblings or a close friend, you can identify with having someone to compare yourself to. Maybe you have always been competitive with each other in all that you do. You identify each other’s strength and weaknesses rather in grades, sports, or how you relate to others. Whatever the case may be we all have strengths and weaknesses. There is always going to be someone faster than you and slower than you. There is always going to be someone who makes better grades than you and worst grades than you. There is always going to be someone who has more and someone who has less. So what makes us different? What makes us stand apart? Take the gifts God gave us and use them to the best of our ability.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7