The Driftwood Principle

Mortals . . . look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (NRSV)


MY father and I were looking for driftwood along the rugged shore of the Pacific Ocean near our home. He used the wood to make clocks and tables. Eager to help, I ran from one pile of wood to another, dragging out large pieces. None of these was what my father was looking for.

Finally, after an hour of tromping up and down the beach, my father stooped down to look at a tangled pile of debris. "It's perfect," he said, holding up a twisted root.

I couldn't believe what I saw. "Why'd you pick this old, dirty, piece of junk?"

"You can't just look at what it is now," said my father. "You need to see what it can become." The bird's-eye-maple clock hanging on my wall reminds me not to judge by appearances - because God does not.

From the passage in 1 Samuel, we know that the Lord does not look at outward appearances but rather looks at the heart. Isn't it great to know that God looks at us not only for who we are but also for who we can become?


Prayer
Lord, teach me to see others and myself through your eyes. Amen.


From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Dwayne K. Buhler