Most mornings, I begin my day looking at our backyard through the sliding glass doors in our bedroom.
It’s a delightful way to wake up, enjoying not only the beauty of the flowers my husband has planted over the years but the wildlife that is attracted to our yard.
Every year as the weather starts to get warmer, he adds new plants.
This year, one of my favorites is a coral begonia. It constantly has more blooms on it than you would think one little plant could hold up, and all them are different shades of coral.
It’s huge and since it’s on our deck, my eyes can’t help but focus on it as soon as I open the curtains each day.
If someone was walking by our yard or perhaps even driving by, they would catch a glimpse of the coral color.
Most likely they would realize it was coming from a flower. I imagine some people would even make a comment about how pretty it is.
But none of them would see what I see because they aren’t close enough to appreciate how varied the shades of color are on that one plant.
How many people have I judged based on a first impression? The truth is you can’t really know someone until you spend time with them.
I have a friend who is beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her out in public when she wasn’t dressed impeccably with perfect hair and make-up.
We’re very close, and she’s shared with me her deepest thoughts and feelings. I know her history as well as her dreams for the future.
When I see her, I can’t help but think about what other people see.
They see a lady who is quite polished. I imagine some people are a bit intimidated by her as we often are by people who are that pretty.
Like all of us, she has layers to her.
And I had to get close enough to her, as our friendship grew, to see past the outside and deep down into who she truly is.
She is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside, but I never would have known that if I hadn’t taken the time to truly get to know her.
Every single one of us is more than what meets the eye. We just have to look closely enough to see the whole picture.
We should take the time to get to know people, to see past the exterior they’re choosing to show others.
In John 4, we are told that Jesus was at a well in Samaria when a woman showed up. I could stop right there and have a major discussion because Samaritans weren’t exactly the kind of people Jews would have chosen to be around.
But Jesus saw past what was on the outside, the part of her that so many others had condemned.
As he talked to her, he stripped away every layer until he revealed the person she truly was. Then he spoke a blessing over her life.
I wonder if I would have chosen to go to another well, not wanting to be tainted by association.
I wonder how many times I’ve missed the opportunity to reach others because of my inability to truly see who they are.
Whether a person looks like they have it all together or they are considered an outcast of society, there is always more to their story.
I hope I look long enough to see past what’s on the surface of their life. I want to have eyes like Jesus.
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