Recently I was
on a job painting the exterior of a house, when a neighbor lady came over and
began to converse with the home owner regarding my work. Apparently this lady wanted an estimate for
some work on her home, but had yet to find the right contractor. Upon inquiring of the home owner as to my
work ethic, and viewing my actual work, this lady requested that I stop by and
give her an estimate. And then she said
something I thought was kind of funny.
She said, “I haven’t found a clean
cut painter yet. You look pretty clean
cut. And your work looks good, so I’d
like an estimate.”
It made me
chuckle inside. If she could have seen
me just a few months prior, or even a few years ago, she may have thought
differently. Hair past my shoulders and
a goatee 8 inches long probably wouldn’t have passed the “clean cut” test. It still makes me smile as I write, but it’s
a bitter-sweet smile.
Something very
strange and even tragic happens when we judge people by their outward
appearances. We build a wall that
prevents a divine interaction. We
prejudice ourselves against people without even knowing the full extent of the
value they could add to our lives and vice versa.
Sometimes it
has to do with skin color. Other times it
has to do with body size and shape (BMI).
Even worse amongst God’s people we judge others by how they do their
worship experience. Regardless of what
type of prejudice we possess, it’s not good.
Now I’m glad
that lady wanted me to give her an estimate, but I am not glad she wanted it
because she deemed me to be “clean cut”.
The reason being: I was just as good a painter and carpenter when my
hair was long or my goatee hung to the middle of my chest.
Can you understand
how pre-judging someone by how they look could prevent you from gaining a benefit
or a blessing, by inadvertently shutting them out? Not only is there potential for hurting or
offending the other person (the one being judged), but you the one doing the
judging run the greater risk of not gaining from what they have to offer you in
this life.
Pause for a
moment and think of all the blessings and benefits you and I may have lost out
on, by judging someone based on their appearance alone. Biblically speaking, the consequences of
judging by appearance alone can be of catastrophic loss – to all parties
involved.
So remember, the
next time you look at someone and think they are “clean cut” and that it must
mean they are a good person, stop yourself.
Because there have been times in my life when I was Cut – But Not Clean Cut. And there are people who are clean cut, who
have yet to be cut.
If and when
life has cut us deeply, and we let God do a healing work in our hearts and
lives, we will come to the realization that outward appearances are of little
value to God. He looks at the heart of a
person.
Having our
hearts and lives cut to the quick, should cause us to cry out to God who alone can
render those wounds healed. And that my
friend is far more important than being clean cut on the outside.
As for me, I’d
rather be Cut – But Not Clean Cut, for therein lies the power of my God’s
love. He looks inside, when no one else
will. He looks inside where the cuts
really occur. He looks at the parts that
matter. And those parts have little to
do with trimmed sideburns and a fresh appearance.
Cut – But Not
Clean Cut. I’m glad God sees me for me. Let’s try to do the same for others.
