Every Thursday I feature a “throwback” post from my blog archive. The goal is to look back and discover new lessons or opportunities to grow. This week, we’ll look at “Baked Goods and Heart Conditions” You can view the original post here. For today, here’s a quick recap and a few more thoughts about snap judgements and outward appearances.

To this day, I still love to find a good “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant where, upon arrival, you truly wonder if the place is even open. But, this doesn’t apply exclusively to restaurants. There is a store I love to visit called The Workshop. Its in downtown Omaha and if you don’t know it’s there, you’ll never find it. To get there, you have to walk down a back alley that is otherwise filled with emergency exits and delivery doors for other businesses. The main entrance to the workshop has very simple lettering on a solid steel door that appears to be nothing worth exploring. But, if you have to nerve to open that door and walk inside, you find a fairly large store filled with sneakers, vintage clothes, and other collectibles that you won’t find in many other places.

In the original post, “Baked Goods and Heart Conditions,” I shared about a time when Jesus told the religious leaders of the day that “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you, you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth” (Mt. 15:11 NIV). He is basically reminding us that it’s the condition of our hearts, not our adherence to rituals that matters most. But today, as I reread the post, I was reminded that there is more that we can learn from these moments in which the outside doesn’t really match up with the inside.

In the aforementioned passage, we see a situation where the outside looked great but the inside was a mess. But with Ted’s Bakery from the original post and The Workshop, its the other way around. In each of those, we have a situation where the outside isn’t anything special but what’s on the inside is something worth writing home about¹.

As I look at these places, and the many others I have experienced that have a similar vibe, I am reminded that what we see on the outside rarely tells the whole story. This is true of restaurants, sneaker shops, and especially true of people; we can’t let what’s on the outside, deter us from looking a little deeper.

As I think about this, I am reminded of 1 Samuel 16:7. God tells the prophet Samual to anoint a new king for Israel after the first king, who was ‘perfect’ on the outside, didn’t lead his people well. Samuel goes to the house where God leads him and finds Elaib, the oldest son of the family. Samuel thinks, ‘this has to be him,’ but God responds with, “’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.’”

Samuel then moves down the family line one by one with God continuing to say ‘No,’ ‘Nope,’ ‘No thanks,’ ‘Not it,” until none but the youngest are left. They send for the youngest son² and wait for him to arrive. Finally, David arrives at the house and the Lord says to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one’” (1 Sam. 16:12 NIV).

Everyone underestimated David. He was the youngest, he was a shepherd, he walked around playing the harp and writing poetry. On the surface, this guy didn’t have a lot going for him. But beneath that, he had a heart that was submitted to God and a willingness to follow Him wherever he led. David was capable and called to so much more than what his appearance, the culture around him, or even his own family may have said. God looked beyond all of that and found a man after God’s own heart.

Here’s what I hope you walk away with today:

Culture doesn’t get to decide who you are or what you are capable of.

Culture is going to try really hard to tell you to fall in line, to be who or what it says you should be. Culture will tell you that you don’t have much to offer, that no one cares about you or what you have to say, or that you should be just another nameless, faceless, part of the crowd that simply goes with the flow. But that’s not what God, the one who crafted you has in mind. Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” That’s intentional and purposeful creation, not some cookie cutter factory preset. God has a purpose and plans for you. He put you on this earth for a very specific reason. I want to encourage you to find out what that reason is and then pursue that purpose with everything you’ve got³. Don’t let culture convince you that you are worthless or that your life is meaningless. If you, like David, aren’t even invited to the party, you are in good company!

Don’t let the outside keep you from getting to know the whole person.

They say, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression.’ But I say, first impressions rarely tell the whole story. What if we made that first quote a thing of the past? What if we became a people that decided that the first impression was nothing more than a small piece of the puzzle? What if we decided to begin with every interaction we have with someone with grace and invitation? If we did that, I bet we’d discover more things we love about others than things we don’t. I bet we’d be more open to relationships and create meaningful connections with people who are different than we are. And I believe we’d see God at work in more tangible ways than we ever have before.

What the Workshop, Ted’s Bakery, and a teenager named David, have in common is that there is way more within them than meets the eye. Maybe you feel the same. Maybe you’ve been underestimated, cast aside, or told you don’t have anything to offer. Let me tell you today that this is simply not true. Look to the Lord, the one who created you. In Him you will find purpose, you will find your identity, and you will find a life filled with meaning and mission. And don’t forget to encourage others to do the same.

1. Or at least posting on the internet.

2. David’s family was so convinced that David wasn’t the one God was looking for, that they didn’t even invite him to the party! First of all… rude, second people, not even close people, don’t always see what God sees. Get your identity from Him, not them.

3. I LOVE helping people figure that out. Here are a couple of ways I’d love to help you. First, check out my book, Magic in the Mug, its all about discovering your purpose. I believe reading it will help you get started on a path toward finding true life. Second, I’d love to connect and answer any questions. Head over to the contact page and send me a message!