What we see isn't always what we should get

​Later this morning, I will speak at a faith summit. At the heart of what I'll say is this: one of the unhealthiest things we do TO one another is make assumptions about one another without truly knowing one another.

We judge people by what we see without ever taking time to know who someone is.

I'll share a story of an encounter Jesus had with a woman at a well. A woman who'd been with a lot of men in her life. A woman who had been judged cruelly by friends and family and neighbors because of it.

Jesus told her, yes, I know you've been with a lot of men, but oh I see the beauty inside you.

He saw the beauty because he went out of his way to see it.

If you think about it, say a prayer that someone who is being shamed because of where they've been, will find new life today in the eyes and in the heart of someone who will see them for who they truly are.

If you think about it today, resist the temptation to believe what you see is what you get. What you see actually is often the latest chapter in someone's really hard story.

A story someone needs you to read and not judge.

The healthiest thing we can do for one another is quit deciding who we think people should be based on our stories and start helping them become who they long to be in the middle of their own stories.

Because we all have a story.

And it is almost always about a desire to be fully known.

Not fully judged.