Dirty looks. Eye rolls. Whispers and pointing. People covering their ears. Unsolicited advice.

This is what we get when we leave the house with James and he doesn’t act the way the world expects him to act. Maybe he’s screeching. Maybe he’s flapping. Maybe he’s in full meltdown mode and hitting himself or one of us.

That’s what people see on the outside, but that’s not what’s in his heart. 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

God gave Samuel the task of finding and anointing the new king, one who would be a man after God’s own heart and not reject Him as Saul had done. When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and met Jesse’s sons, he looked at Eliab and thought he was the one. But God reminded him, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

It’s hard to be a kid who looks like a typical kid but can’t meet the expectations others put on typical kids.

But God doesn’t just see what strangers at the grocery store see. He sees what’s in our kids’ hearts. He knows they are overwhelmed and trying their best. And He knows you are trying your best as you try to comfort your child and help him or her regain control.

Let’s pray today for eyes like God has, that look on the heart.

Help us remember you look beyond what’s seen on the outside and value what’s in our children’s hearts.

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