Disclaimer: I feel very uncomfortable writing this blog! I just realized that in order to illustrate this story, I’m going to have to describe someone in a derogatory manner. This really bothers me because it makes me realize how judgmental we are as a culture. Genesis 1:27 says that we were created in God’s image and I believe this unconditionally, but many times appearances dictate how we judge people. Unfortunately, sometimes we view the creation and assume that the creator somehow screwed up. It’s not right and none of us would want to be judged by how we look. But let’s face it, most of us have been conditioned to judge people by our first impressions. And first impressions are usually based on appearances. A few years ago, I had lunch with a friend of mine from high school. I hadn’t seen him in years, but he looked exactly the same as I remember. Tall, well dressed and with a confident stride, my friend met me at the front of the restaurant with a big smile on his face. We gave each other a big hug with pats on the back, looked each other up and down and exchanged the typical “Man, You look good!” comments. It wasn’t until then that I realized he was accompanied by someone else. This man that I didn’t recognize was stocky, a little overweight and awkward in the way he carried himself. I hate to admit it, but my first thought was, “Where in the world did he find this guy!” He reminded me of a slightly slimmer Del Griffith. You know, John Candy's character in Planes Trains and Automobiles? If not, just Google it and you'll see what I mean. He was goofy looking and had a slow smile on his face. He appeared uncomfortable and kept staring at his feet and gazing at the sky. I guess you can say that he appeared to be a somewhat of a social misfit, and not the kind of guy most people would want to hang around. Again, I hate that I have to describe him this way, but it’s the only way I can illustrate this story with effectiveness.
My friend told me that this guy was a co-worker of his and asked if I would mind if he joined us. I agreed and we made our way inside the restaurant and sat down. My friend made the introductions and I shook our guest's hand. It was then that I recognized his face and realized that I knew this guy from high school almost 20 years before. Or at least I thought I knew him. Here’s what I can remember of this "social misfit": Voted most likely to succeed in high school. Football, baseball and basketball star athlete. Popular. Ladies man. Good looking. Successful. This guy was one of the “in” crowd! He was the guy that other guys wanted to be! He was going places! Scholarships awaited him! “Now, what was your name again?”
“I look a little different than I did in high school, don’t I?” He said with a laugh. OK, how do I respond to that? "No! Not at all! What are you talking about? You look great!" Yeah, right! I think I just laughed as well and quickly changed the subject. But I’m quite sure that the shock on my face was as obvious as the sun in the sky! This was NOT the guy I knew from high school! I'm not talking about mere appearances. The name was the same. The face was the same. But the two images that were now in my mind were completely different. Two different people? Maybe just a coincidence? Come on! What happened here!?
The fact that I am even writing this blog causes me to reflect on how society judges by appearances. Many times, we have already reached our assumptions about someone before we even meet them. Not only do we judge the book by the cover, but we read the last page and draw our own conclusions. Samuel could not understand why God was rejecting Saul and removing him as King of Israel. I mean, here was this tall, handsome, strong and confident looking man! A man’s man! A warrior! A king! But God saw something different. “ Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7) Interesting concept, huh?
Well, are you wondering why the radical change in my high school friend? What happened next? Do I have your curiosity piqued? Well, I’ll tell you what happened in Part II. Sorry! Too much for one blog!