Have you ever had anyone tell you, “Wow, there’s more to you than meets the eye!”?  My husband and I have.

Years ago, we had gone to speak at a church’s weekend conference.  We had our two young sons with us as well, as part of our “team”.  Before the first evening meeting, the pastor gave us a run-down on the agenda for the weekend, and asked us a few questions.  We answered in our usual, down-home, folksy, manner.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon–  We had given three talks, sang two songs with our older son on guitar, the younger on drums, me on piano and my husband as lead singer.  We had also enjoyed some great fellowship time with many of the church members.  As we were preparing to leave, the pastor called us over and declared, “Wow, there’s more to you than meets the eye!”

-?-  Was this a compliment or an insult?  In other words—did it mean “You guys don’t look like much to respect”, or “I’m sure glad I got to know you to discover what you’re made of!”?  We decided to take it as a compliment—after all, he had discovered something good in there J

David in the Bible must have felt the same way, when the prophet Samuel finally got around to noticing him and anointing him to be the second king of Israel.  The first king, Saul, who had been chosen based on appearances and “potential”, hadn’t worked out, so the Lord sent Samuel to find a better replacement. (1 Sam. 16:1-13)

Samuel arrived at Jesse’s house— who trotted out almost all of his sons as potential candidates for king.  The first, Eliab, looked perfect.  “Nope, not this one,” said the Lord.  “Okay, next”, said Samuel.  This happened seven times, until they seemingly ran out of candidates.

“Now what?”, said Samuel (paraphrased).  He must have been a bit exasperated and disappointed by this time.  Even prophets can lose patience!

But he just needed to remember what the Lord told him after He rejected the first one—

“’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.’” (1 Sam. 16:7). 

That is, there’s more to people than meets the eye! Samuel finally got it.  He asked Jesse if there were any more sons, and Jesse reluctantly called David from the fields, where he’d been tending sheep.  Not exactly how one would dress for an interview.

The Lord said, “That’s the one.”  Samuel anointed David king of Israel.  The same David who wrote the Psalms, the “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), the greatest hero of Israel, and the one the “Star of David” is named after.

What do we see when we look at people?  Their clothes?  Their hair? Their facial features?  Their shape?  Their make-up and jewelry (or lack of it)?  Their demeanor—how confident, competent, approachable, they look?  Yes, we can’t help but notice these things.  And sometimes they do tell the truth about someone, especially if it’s something they can help—such as character that shows.

But appearances can be deceiving.  Ever hear of an “empty suit”—a person who looks competent but there’s really nothing of substance in him/her?

On the other hand, while grunginess can indicate lack of good hygiene and self-respect, it can also mean a neuro-surgeon who happens to be a refugee on a dusty trail fleeing for his/her life.

The next time you meet someone who looks and acts like “no-one special”, look deeper.  They may be your professor… or your boss… or the keynote speaker… or a foreign prince dressed like a pauper…  or the person who could become your wife/husband/best friend!

The way we see people is how we relate to them.  And there’s more to all of us than meets the eye.  What will people see in us if they look deeper?