1 Samuel 16:7, 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.”

It was the usual flurry of activity that occurs when my eldest steps off the school bus and the little one rouses from her afternoon snooze. With the schoolbag tossed on the ground and sneakers kicked off exposing incredibly dirty socks, my daughter began her usual rambling about the day and all that was contained within it.

I listened as I unpacked her lunch bag and immediately began to prepare her lunch for the next day. I pulled out the bright red bowl from the refrigerator that held deep ruby red grapes. I held the bowl underneath a stream of cool water to wash the dirt and grime from their surface.

I plucked grapes one by one from tight stems and placed them into a container. They were fresh and firm, and I knew my daughter would be delighted to find them tucked into her bright pink polkadot bag. I surveyed the bundle of fruit as I held the lid to the container in my hand. Sitting on top of the pile was one oddly deformed grape. It was so unusual in shape and had a dark spot upon its top. I removed the grape from the bunch knowing my daughter would eye the grape and never allow it to touch her lips. There was nothing wrong with this grape, but its warped shell would be less than appealing to my young child.

I held the sad little grape in my hand and pondered this truth: that sad little deformed grape grew the same way every other grape does. It basked in the same sunshine; drank of the same rain water. On the inside that grape tastes exactly the same as all the others. But sometimes we are so quick to judge something that appears less than appealing at first glance. Something- and yes, sometimes someone.

The world teaches us to be quick with our choices, decisions and judgements. Though our culture bombards us with all forms of media praising individuality, there still exists a subtle undercurrent praising conformity. How easy we have the ability to toss aside what doesn’t appear to fit in. What appears to be odd and slightly deformed is not worthy of our attention, let alone good enough for us.

Jesus was treated like that odd little grape. The Pharisees did not like the way He taught the people, and the way He touched them. Literally and figuratively. They grew to despise Him because He refused to conform to their ritualistic religious ways.

But The Lord does not look at our condition on the outside, He looks at the condition of our heart- His dwelling place within us. And I believe that He desires us to look at each other and see what He sees: bodies who were created by the same Creator, souls who have basked in the same sunshine; drank of the same water. Individuals who experience the same emotions and weather many of the same storms.

All that from a grape.

I pressed the lid down on the container and finished packing my daughter’s lunch. I placed the bag on a shelf in the fridge and closed the door. As I turned back to the counter, I popped that sad little grape in my mouth. And it was delightful.

Father, you are the author of creativity, carving out each and every one of us in our own unique way. May we always remember that no two of us are alike- and that’s just the way we’re supposed to be. Amen.

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