Day 010 of 90 · Identity
I Don't Need to Be Like Everyone Else
12–15 minutes
Center · Stillness
Settle in
Put the phone down. Take one slow breath, and say: “God, I am here. Speak, I am listening.”
Read · The passage
Scripture
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7, BSB
Learn · Reflection
Reflection
Comparing yourself all the time can make you forget your worth. God did not ask you to be like everybody else. He looks far beyond appearances, and He can use your personality, your story and your differences to do good things. You do not have to turn into another person in order to have worth. When Samuel arrived at Jesse's house to choose the next king, he saw David's older brothers and thought one of them would be the chosen one. They were strong, confident and they looked like leaders. But God saw it another way.
One by one, the brothers passed in front of Samuel, but none of them was the chosen one. So Samuel asked whether there was anyone else. There was.
David was out in the field looking after the sheep. They had not even called for him. He seemed to be the least important one in the family.
When David arrived, God spoke clearly: “This is the one.”
What people had not seen, God saw.
Sometimes we think that we too have to look like everyone else in order to be accepted. Stronger, more popular or more talented. Without noticing, we begin to believe that being who we are is not enough.
But God is not looking for a copy of another person. He looks at the heart, and He can use the very thing that everyone else passes over.
Talk · Conversation
Talk about it
If God looks at the heart and not at appearances, what does He see in you that people have not noticed yet?
Thank · Gratitude
Give thanks
Today I thank God for seeing what is inside me, even when nobody calls my name.
Ask · Prayer
Pray together
God, You chose David out in the field, far from anyone's eyes. Help me stop trying to look like everyone else just to be accepted.
Begin · Application
Carry it into the day
Today, compliment someone on a quality of their heart, not on the way they look.
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible. Public domain (CC0)