Outward Appearances

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ---1 Samuel 16:7

On Sunday, two of my church family members, gave me a super awesome hat. I love hats, and they know I love hats, and they found one for me that looks like a monkey, and the monkey lifts its arms when you squeeze one of the dangly ear flaps. Well, as soon as they handed it to me, I put it on and I wore it for the rest of the day, including Sunday School. Since it's a silly hat (to match a silly person), I half-expected a judgmental attitude from some of my church family members (or at least a facepalm and a good eye-roll).

But the judgment never came. To my surprise (and delight), several members of my church family came over and helped me "test" my monkey's dance moves. The rest either smiled or simply didn't bat an eye. After all, they've known me my whole life and are used to my antics.

Another thing that surprised me on Sunday was the number of compliments my brother received on his Star Trek: Enterprise uniform. No one judged him for his attire, either. No glares, no derision, no cries of outrage.

To be honest, I didn't expect anyone to get upset over my brother's outfit. I know that my family has the full support of my church family. They accept us for who we are.

Brother Ken and I were talking the other day about how everyone has to make their own decisions, and I mentioned that we're all different. We agreed that the differences of the members are what make the Methodist church so successful. Since our founding by John Wesley, the Methodist church has drawn diverse groups of people from many different backgrounds with a wide variety of ideas. Our ability to work together and respect and love each other is what makes our church successful. That's what makes our church grow, reach out, and last. Our unique and special congregations are what make our denomination unique and special.

In short, I just wanted to thank my church's congregation for loving and accepting my brother and me, and I just wanted to let you all know that we love and treasure you as well.

------Rachel