But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1Samuel 16:7
There is supposed to be an order with labor and delivery, that goes as follows: mom begins contracting, contractions increase in length and intensity while decreasing in spacing, water breaks, mom dilates, mom pushes, baby is born. This would always be the order and rhythm of birth, if not for one little hiccup: babies can't read.
One lovely spring evening, I was visiting a client whose little one decided to jumble up the "order" a bit, making mom uncomfortable and certain that birth was near, but hinting that perhaps it wasn't quite "go time" yet. In the interest of having her husband rested for the "main event," mom-to-be decided this was a good time for a walk, just the two of us. As we headed toward the sidewalk, a third party approached our mama-doula-duo ...
With ears perked upright, she walked slowly toward me. Though smaller than typical, her facial features, brindle coloring and muscular physique were unmistakable. Whether young, or mixed with a smaller breed, I was not certain, but I was completely confident that a pit bull was headed my way. She did not charge, nor did she make a sound, but it was clear that she was not the least bit afraid of me. Unsure of what would happen next, I simply stood there, allowing her to come closer. Circling slowly, she sniffed me cautiously, then ran toward my client.
There was no time to be afraid for her. In an instant, this curious canine was right next to a very expectant mother, of whom I felt very responsible. Fortunately, there was no cause for concern, as the dog happily wagged her tail approvingly-- first at my client, then at me. In that moment, I remembered the tendency of "bully breeds" to be protective-- even nurturing toward expectant mothers and small children. She had no intention of attacking us, she was simply protecting a fellow female and her offspring, and wanted to make sure MY intentions were good.
While I enjoyed our moment of estrogen solidarity, I had certainly expected it to end when we walked past our canine compadre's abode. Surprisingly, she joined ranks and walked right next to my client, creating a physical barrier between the mother-to-be and the road. When we walked, she walked. When a contraction came, she stopped as I applied counter-pressure to my client's back. When a car drove by, she would circle us protectively. She never barked at the oncoming vehicles, but her eyes were ever-watchful.
Though we urged our faithful walking buddy to go home, she was unrelenting of her "post," until a familiar car drove up with her owner inside. As he apologized profusely for her "bothering us," we explained that we simply did not want her to get lost, or for her human to think she'd gone missing. Waving to our furry friend and her "person," we continued our walk.
In between contractions, we discussed how sweet and loyal the dog had been, and what a shame it was that the breed once called "Nanny Dogs," due to their former positions to look after young children, had, In recent history, been inbred, tortured and trained to fight to the death. Clearly, this dog had not been raised in such a fashion, yet, due to her DNA, she would most likely be labeled throughout her life as a "dangerous dog." We knew differently, however-- we knew this noble beast would someday be a part of a special little girl's birth story.
That night, as I drove home for a few hours asleep before "rip roaring labor" began, I thought more about labels. As humans, it is in our nature to judge one another by past experience, preconceived ideas, cultural bias, economic status ... The list goes on. We have to work exceedingly hard to look past what we think we know about others, and try as we may, we all fail more often than not. Our human hearts, eyes and minds are truly limited.
God, however, is limitless in His ability to see each and every person for who they really, truly are. He is not fooled, nor is He surprised by last names, bank account balances or even the history of our countless failures. While He does not high-five us for losing it with the kids or speeding in a school zone, He is able to see the the beautiful traits we all possess-- inside and out, amidst our brokenness. If we are willing to simply ask, He is more than willing to forgive our mistakes, heal our hurts and encourage us to use the gifts He has given us.
And perhaps, one of the greatest gifts Christ has given His church is a blessing we choose not to utilize. We have the power of The Holy spirit living inside of us, yet we choose to simply rely on our human eyes to see those around us. What would happen to our families, our communities, even our world at large if we looked at one another as Jesus does? May this be our prayer: that we might change our outlook, which, in turn, will change our thoughts, our actions and our effectiveness as we strive to become the Hands and Feet of Christ.
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