Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Two people walk into a bar … or in this instance, a church.

Rivals in every way, one is a Fostoria High School graduate and fan of The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Boston Celtics. The other is a Findlay High School graduate and fan of the Michigan Wolverines and the LA Lakers. Now add to that different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The curious eyes of an outsider may wonder what these two individuals have in common.

We had no expectations of developing a friendship. He’d judged me under the scope of my appearance, and I had no interest in finding out if he had moved beyond his past as a Fostoria kid who had associated with gangs. It was tempting to stop at outward appearances, as humans are prone to do.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Instead, we took a risk, and didn’t let our differences come between us. After a bumpy start, our friendship has remained intact for nearly 25 years.

If you’ve watched Devotion, you recall that initially, the main characters, Jesse (African-American) and Tom (Caucasian), weren’t sure what to think of each other. They relied on outward judgment and their own fears—the opposite of God’s example.

Jesse said, “getting your wingman in a bit of trouble might earn you a peek at who they are underneath the cover.” Unfortunately, taking the time to learn someone’s heart shouldn’t be situational. But often, that’s who we are (or were) until we learn about building friendships through our relationship with Christ. Stepping out in faith and seeing people the way God does isn’t always easy, but it's always worth it.

Throughout the years, my friend and I have navigated a lot together. He has seen me through difficult times and joyous ones. In turn, I’ve had the opportunity to invite him to my Group. And although he still isn’t sure what he believes, he recently brought his brother because he understands people need people.

Our friendship provides me space to share Jesus with someone who may never have heard it otherwise. And none of it would have been possible if we had only looked at the outside instead of the heart.

Questions:
Have you ever missed out on a friendship because you wrongfully judged that person? How open are you to seeing a stranger's heart?

Next Steps:
Take the time to build friendships by having deep conversations, showing up for people, and joining different groups to grow in the community with others. Pray for the new people who enter your life.

Check out the Flash Fiction story that parallels the theme of this week’s movie. You can find it directly after this post, on the homepage of our app, or text Fiction to 419-419-0707, to have it delivered directly to your phone.

Prayer:
God, I look around at the many people in my life who wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t trusted you and followed your example to see someone’s heart. Thank you for making it easier than I thought it would be. These authentic relationships indeed bless me, and my family is better for it. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Romans 1:20

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

This post was written by Jaron Camp, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.