Judging Appearance- a lesson from my father-in-law

My father-in-law, a very unique man, passed away about seven years ago. He and I would often go fishing on his 14-foot aluminum boat in the cool of the evening as the sun was setting. No one else in the family liked to fish so it was always just him and me. I always looked forward to going because he would share some of the best stories from his life. Most of them made me laugh, some were serious, and others I made mental notes of in case I needed to apply them to my own life. He had a way of presenting his experiences that when he finished, you felt like you had been to church. There was one particular story that flooded my mind a few days ago that I'd like to share.

One Sunday morning, he said, he entered a new church just before services were to begin. Although his clothes had been washed, he wore jeans, a faded corduroy shirt, and his favorite cowboy boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand, he carried a tattered, worn-out Bible. My father-in-law was one to walk into any church hoping he could share the gospel. The way he described it, the church he entered this time was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church he'd ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed in pricey clothes and accessories. As he took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They openly shunned him and seemed appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it. As he was leaving the church, he said the preacher approached him and asked him to do him a favor. “Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask Him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship.” My father-in-law assured the preacher that he would.

The next Sunday, as the story goes, he told me he returned for the services. Giggling a bit he admitted his jeans may have been a little more ragged, his change of shirt still faded from mechanics work, he wore the same ole' worn-out boots and held tightly to his leather-bound, tattered bible. Once again, he was completely shunned and ignored by everyone in the building. He wasn't surprised when the preacher approached him again and said, “I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to this church.”
“I did,” replied my father-in-law.
“If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshipping in here?” asked the preacher. Knowing my father-in-law well, I couldn't wait to hear his response! With a slight hesitation and an ornery smile on his face, he told me he said, “Well, sir, God told me that He didn’t have a clue what I should wear. He said He’d never been in this church.”
We both erupted into a synchronized chorus of laughter as our voices continued resonating across the lake.

What can we learn? As Christians, we should never be guilty of playing favorites or judging people based on appearance. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17; James 2:1-10) Why is it that people feel the need to judge another person? Why do people judge others by what they wear or what they look like? We judge when we assume things as well. Read my blog titled "ASSUMICIDE." We mentally hand out labels, like "bum" or "hobo". Whether we are Christian or not, we have heard the phrase Judge not or you will be judged. That's actually more than a phrase, it's a command in the Bible and it's something for people who are quick to make judgments to remember. When you’re thinking about judging a book by its cover, sometimes, I think most people find, if they open it up, they might like what they find inside despite a non-attractive cover. The same goes for people. Just take a second to take a closer look or hear what they have to say. You might find the man or quiet boy in school is having trouble with his speech, or the man in the raggedy clothes has a Ph.D. In the case of my father-in-law, he ran his own car shop business and had an excellent reputation of being the best automobile mechanic on this side of the Mississippi. I'm sure the folks in that church of such status were mentally judging my father-in-law as a bum just by the way they avoided and ignored him. I’ll tell you, words can hurt a lot more than a bruise - the bruise goes away. The hurt from words is burned into the memory. I was a victim of bullying for years, and trust me, hurtful words cut deeper than physical injury or pain.

We wonder why others are committing crimes. Think about it. Many times people are angry, hurt, and think they can get even with society for throwing them away with disdain. It's true. It's factual. When people judge those who’ve fallen on hard times, it makes it even harder to make a comeback. How would they feel if someone labeled them? Even after I get to know a person, I don’t judge them. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I've been judged falsely. It's not fun! As a quick example, take the time to consider that there might be underlying health issues preventing the person from having a job and that they are not lazy at all. Especially now, during this Christmas season, let love rule in your heart and think twice before labeling someone you believe falls below your standard. Each of us is made in the image of God. Each of us has worth.
I'll leave you with this, 1 John 4:20 "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, how can they love God, whom they have not seen."
Until next time.
-Pat-