“For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
We are very good at seeing the outside of people.
We see the smile.
The nice clothes.
The successful family.
The person who seems confident, cheerful, strong, or completely put together.
And sometimes we see the opposite. We see somebody who is impatient. Short-tempered. Distant. Awkward. Maybe even difficult to be around.
But what we almost never see is the whole story.
We don’t see the worry that kept somebody awake last night.
We don’t see the marriage that is hurting, the child they are worried about, the loneliness they haven’t admitted, the financial burden they are carrying, the grief they are trying to hide, or the prayer they have been praying over and over without yet seeing an answer.
Every person you meet is carrying something.
Some carry it quietly enough that you would never know.
Jesus knew that.
When Christ looked at people, He seemed to see beyond what everyone else saw. He saw the frightened heart. The ashamed heart. The grieving heart. The lonely heart. He saw people others had already judged and found a way to offer them mercy.
And He asks us to do the same.
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Matthew 5:7
Sometimes mercy is forgiveness.
But sometimes mercy is simply patience.
It is giving somebody the benefit of the doubt.
It is choosing not to return a sharp word with another sharp word.
It is noticing the person who seems left out.
It is saying, “How are you?” and caring enough to hear the answer.
Paul wrote:
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
I think there are burdens all around us that we may never completely understand.
So perhaps we could be a little slower to judge and a little quicker to show grace.
A little slower to become offended and a little quicker to forgive.
A little less concerned with deciding whether someone deserves our kindness.
Because if we are waiting to offer mercy only to the people who obviously need it, we will miss most of them.
The truth is, nearly everybody needs a little mercy.
I know I do.
And I suspect you do too.
So this week, when you look at another person, remember:
You can see their face.
Christ can see their heart.
Let’s try to treat them accordingly.
— Hollis Steed