Daily Devotional for February 26, 2023
The Old Mansion
“I can hardly wait to see the old mansion!” exclaimed Camilla. She and her family were on their way to visit Grandma and Grandpa Garcia, who had recently become caretakers of a large estate. As they drove, Camilla talked about her day at school. “There’s a new girl in my class, Emma, and she dresses really weird! I was so embarrassed when our teacher asked me to show her around the school.”
Camilla’s brother Lucas rolled his eyes. “What does it matter what her clothes look like? What she’s like is more important than what she wears.”
“Lucas is right, Camilla,” said Mom. “It sounds like you’re focusing on Emma’s appearance instead of who she is as a person.”
Camilla scowled and changed the subject. “Look,” she said, pointing ahead. “I think we’re almost there!” As Dad turned down an overgrown lane which led to a large old house, Camilla frowned. “This can’t be the right place. This looks more like a dump than a mansion!” But when her grandparents welcomed them and led them inside, Camilla gasped. The floors glistened, and carpeted steps curved from the hallway to the second floor. “Oh, wow! I can’t believe how nice this is! The outside looks so run down.”
“Yes,” said Grandpa. “The old place is being restored, but the company that was hired for the outside work can’t begin until next month. That’s why there’s such a difference between the inside and outside.” He smiled. “This house is a good example of why we shouldn’t judge by appearance.”
“We talked a little about that on our way over here,” said Mom, giving Camilla a nudge. “We sometimes forget that the heart of a person is much more important than how they look or dress. But God knows that. He looks at the heart, and Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin so our hearts could be made new like the inside of this house. That’s how much He loves each one of us.”
Camilla looked around at the beautiful house and then out the window to the overgrown front yard. Mom’s right, she thought. I did judge Emma by the way she looks on the outside, and that was wrong. When I get back to school, I’ll try to find out what she’s really like.
-Linda Weddle
How about you?
Do you accept or reject people because of the way they look? God says it’s the inside that counts. He looks at our hearts, and even when He sees the ugliness of sin there, He doesn’t reject us. Instead, He offers us a new, clean heart through Jesus! That’s how we should look at others too. Instead of judging people based on their appearance, remember how God sees them and show them the love He has put in your heart.
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