Hi friends!
I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” before, right? I know I’ve heard it my whole life. Have you ever wondered why people say that so much?
I think I know why. Now, I may be totally wrong, but I think it’s because that phrase is a really hard one to live by. First impressions of people give us the only information we’ve got to go on for a person until we get to know them better, and until then, the first impression gives us our solid image of that person. But, as this old saying warns, the first impression might not give you an accurate image of the person.
First impressions can be good, they can be bad, they can be spot on, or they can be deceiving. It’s really a toss-up; until you really get to know someone, there’s no telling. My guess is that’s why the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” came about. In John 7:24, even Jesus warns us, “Do not judge by appearances…” It’s simple to go wrong when just looking at the outside, or how one may present himself initially.
Now, this misinterpretation can be completely harmless. The differences you discover may be completely trivial… Or they may be very important. Especially if they concern matters of the Bible.
For example, ladies, have you ever had an acquaintance before who, the more time you spend around them, realize they weren’t exactly the Christian you thought they were when you first met? I know I have, and it’s really a very eye-opening, frightening experience, to be honest. If you aren’t careful, having that kind of experience can really rattle your faith- trust me, I know firsthand. Jesus knows this as well, and warned his disciples (and by extent, us as well) to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” in Matthew 7:15. Of course, we aren’t specifically talking about false prophets, here. But can’t this verse be true of certain people as well?
In the next verse, he continues to say “You will recognize them by their fruits.” “Fruits” here means works or actions: Jesus is essentially saying to wait and see what their doings say about them before making an assessment of their character based on first impression alone.
There are bad people out there, sisters, but I don’t want to discourage you in any way from meeting new people. In fact, that is a must for Christians- how else will we spread the Word of God?
And after all, this “first impressions are sometimes only skin deep” thing goes the other way as well. One may make a truly awful first impression and be a wonderful person in reality. It’s always best to at least give someone a chance- they might prove their first impression was accurate, or they might turn out to be a great potential friend. Their reluctance to talk to you may just be shyness. Their frown may have just been caused by a bad day that had nothing to do with you personally. You never really know what’s going on in their life when you first meet them.
Even when someone makes a decent first impression, there is still so much more to that person than you know. As Paul said in Hebrews 13:2, “some have entertained angels unawares.” I don’t pretend to know if this is meant to be taken literally or not, but as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:40, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Better to be safe than sorry, right? People deserve the benefit of the doubt before judgment.
I suppose I said all of this to say what was summed up quite well in those seven words: “don’t judge a book by its cover.” As we live our daily lives, ladies, let’s remember the importance of not simply taking things- and people- at face value.
Mia
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