Getting past the problem of prejudice
May 13
Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. - Colossians 3:11
A schoolteacher named Dodie Gadient once decided to travel across America alone and see the sights she had taught her students about for 13 years. She was rounding a curve on a California interstate when a water pump blew out on her truck. She was terrified and didn’t know what to do.
She prayed quietly, “God, please send me an angel… preferably one with mechanical experience!” Within minutes, an enormous man on a Harley motorcycle drove up sporting a long black beard and tattooed arms. He went to work on the truck and had it running again in no time.
As he mounted his motorcycle to leave, she read the paralyzing words on his leather jacket: “Hell’s Angels”. She thanked the man and with that, he was gone as fast as he had appeared.
It’s impossible to judge the character of a person by outer appearance alone. Had most people seen this man drive up, feelings of fear probably would have dominated their emotions. Yet, when we go past the exterior and really get to know people, we often find someone with a good heart.
Don’t let outer appearances cause you to prejudge someone. Get to know others despite how they might look to you and you may see the Lord working on the inside in an amazing way!
Prayer Challenge
Ask God to help you get past your preconceived notions of others based on external appearance and look inside to the person God created.
Questions for Thought
Have you ever been the victim of prejudice? How did it make you feel for someone to make a judgment about you without even knowing you?
How have you struggled with prejudice in the past? What does today’s Scripture say to you about that?
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