Treasure

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 does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 
1 Samuel 16:7


I couldn't resist posting a photo of Antoine de Saint- Exupéry's drawing of  "The Little Prince" after having read this passage from this coming Sunday's Old Testament lesson.

I don't remember paying attention to this passage before. When I read it this time, the following quote - from the story, "The Little Prince" - came to me:

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. 

What is essential is invisible to the eyes."

I know a story about a woman who was recruiting people to serve on a committee. At first, it was really easy to identify people who had the gifts to be part of this team. Then she realized that someone was missing. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. But, she prayed and talked with others about possible candidates.

One day she was sitting in church and thought about the young man sitting in front of her in church. "Could it be this person?" she asked herself. She wasn't too sure. This guy was young - in high school - and was extremely quiet. It was hard to "read" his feelings. Too young. Too quiet. Too reserved.

But, these thoughts persisted.

Then one Sunday, she decided she would ask him if he would be willing to serve on this particular committee. What could it hurt to do that? She fully expected him to say no - but, to her complete surprise, he said yes. Yes! And the surprises kept coming. He got deeply involved in the work of the committee - offering his wisdom and insight and other talents. He came out of his shell bit by bit as he saw that people sincerely appreciated and respected his gifts. The committee was truly blessed to have him as a partner.

What I take away from this verse in 1 Samuel - and the story above - is that there is no such this as "too (fill in the blank)." Sometimes it means that - for those of us who are looking for people to serve in some capacity - we have to look in the places that are not so obvious, because we might find a hidden treasure!

Time to get rid of "too."

There is no such think as
too young, too old,
too inexperienced,
too quiet, too loud,
too emotional, too laid back,
too outgoing,
too pretty, too ugly,
too _______________.

Thank you God for those hidden treasures!