This excerpt is from the story of Samuel's anointing of David as king over Israel. When the current king, King Saul, disobeyed the Lord, God chose a son of Jesse to be the next king. He told the prophet Samuel to go to Bethlehem, where Jesse's family lived, to present a sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel invited Jesse and his sons; and there at the sacrifice the Lord was going to reveal his choice to Samuel.
When Samuel met Jesse's first son, he was impressed. He thought that he was God's chosen one,
But the Lord said to Samuel,
“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. 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
Samuel met seven of Jesse's sons at the sacrifice and all of them were rejected. He asked Jesse if he had more sons, and Jesse sent for the youngest, David, who was tending their sheep. When David got there, Samuel revealed that he was the one God had chosen.
“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Think about your best friend. When you first saw her, unless you're Anne of Green Gables, you probably didn't think, “She is going to be my best friend.” There was a process – meeting each other, learning about each other, inviting each other over for lunch, etc. But after a while, you came to know her and to trust her. You don't just like her because she is popular or good looking but because you know what's inside – her heart.
God does not want us to judge people by their outside, but He wants us to get to know the real them. He's made them with unique talents, personalities, and quirks, and He would not have done that if He wanted us to just look at their outside. God knew each of Jesse's sons, and He knew that David would be the best king. He did not choose him because he looked like a good king; He chose him because David had the compassion, the wisdom, and the strong sense of right and wrong God wanted in the person who was governing His people.
Samuel saw David's brothers and did not understand why God did not pick them. They all looked like the type of king Israel wanted. If Samuel had gotten to know the sons of Jesse, however, he most likely would have realized that God was right in choosing David. The Bible does not tell us much about David's brothers, but we can trust God that David was the best for the job.
At your school, is there one person who gets picked on the most? Why do people not like him? Does he act weird? Is it because he isn't very good at learning? Or because he is too good, and therefore branded a nerd? Think about it – are the reasons he is picked on based on what people see looking at his outside, or at his inside? The people picking on him are judging him by what they see instead of what God sees. If they took the time to get to know him, I am sure that they would realize that they are treating him unfairly.
Maybe you are the person being picked on. If so, the last sentence of the above verse is a good one to memorize. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” When you are picked on, repeat it to yourself, pray, and leave. Remember that you do not need their approval as long as you have God's. But do not try to conform to their standards, because they will always find fault. God has made you just the way you are, so be proud of that.
You might be one of the people who is picking on the person. If this is the case, STOP! You should also memorize the last sentence of the above verse. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Also, think about why you are picking on this other person. Is it the way he dresses? At another school, maybe his wardrobe is normal and yours is the funny one. Is he clumsy? Think about yourself: maybe you are shorter than nearly everyone else. Is he terrible at history? Maybe you're bad at math. Don't judge people because they are different; God created us all different, and if He hadn't, life would be extremely boring.
You don't have to be picked on to feel like you need to change to meet another's standards. For example, say there is a trendy hairstyle going around at your school. It starts out with only a few kids, but pretty soon most of the school, including your whole class, is following it. You feel out of place because your hair is different. You must decide how you will do your hair: your way, or everyone else's?
You decide to do what everyone else is doing. You do your hair like theirs, and for a while all is well. However, along comes a new trend and again you must decide what to do. You feel like you need to do what everyone else does to be accepted, so you follow them.
This is an example of conformity. Conformity is behavior that is the same as the behavior of most other people in a society, group, etc. Conformity can also be called peer pressure. A negative kind of conformity is rejecting the way God made you for what everyone else is doing. Everyone deals with conformity, even though they might not realize it.
good conformity or bad...
It is not always bad to do what everyone else does; for example, at some schools everyone has to wear a uniform. What matters most is your motivation. It might be a rule, like school uniforms, or it might just be a trend going around. Are you conforming for the sake of being like others? If you are a Christian, you are trying to conform to the image of Christ, which is good! However, you might just be giving into peer pressure, trying to be like everyone else, which is rejecting God's design.
I ask you to pray that God would help you to recognize conformity and to know if it is good conformity or bad. Ask God to help you not give into the bad kind. Also ask Him to turn your eyes to people's hearts, not their appearances.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is –
His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
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