Friday, March 22, 2013

Let's Start This One With A Riddle!

What looks like blueberry yogurt, gets spread with a paint brush, and tastes nothing like blueberry yogurt?


Of course! It's HydraFlex™ Waterproofing Crack Isolation Membrane!  Why didn't I think of that!  I should have known right away seeing as I was using this stuff at Shiloh today!

So anyway, this stuff, it really does look just like blueberry yogurt.  It has the same color and the same unnerving semi-gelatinous consistency.  Here's the deal though, if I were to give you a yogurt cup filled with this stuff you wouldn't know until it was too late.  Supposedly this stuff shouldn't kill you if you eat it, but I wouldn't recommend it anyway. And if you are looking to improve your digestive system this just isn't the way to do it.

Lesson #1: Just because something looks the same, doesn't mean that it is.

When my container of HydraFlex ran out, I had to open a new container from some other brand. Much to my surprise, it wasn't purple!  It was green! I really wondered if I had the right thing here. In the world of construction, different colors often indicate different quality, function, or usage. I didn't want to mess this up and quickly called our head engineer to make sure we had the right product. After walking me through the process of reading the labels to him on the phone, he proved to me (without actually saying or implying anything of the sort) that I am an idiot.  Both packages said, "Waterproofing Crack-Isolation Membrane". I probably could have checked that without calling him and bothering him.

Alas, I was foiled by looks once again.

Lesson #2: Just because something looks different, doesn't mean that it is.

God looks at the world so differently than I do. And I'd love to see things from his perspective a little more often.
But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
One of the other guys who was working at the camp told me a story today that fit this whole idea so perfectly that I'd call it a gift from God.

When he first started attending a bible study it was in the winter. Naturally it was quite cold out and he, like most folks, wore long sleeves each week. He really got to know the people in the group and connected well with them. When spring came, he ended up wearing a t-shirt to the bible study one week. His friend's jaws hit the floor. His arms are covered in tattoos. He doesn't look like your stereotypical biker, so no one expected this. But he loves his ink and there was far more to him than met the eye.

We need to be careful to look at others the way that God looks at them. My question to you is, how do you think we can look at the hearts of others rather than taking them at face value?