The true measure of a person

The true measure of a person

-Lester Parkinson


Scripture Setting: "The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

I recently read an interesting account of Thomas Aquinas who when he attended classes at the University of Paris in the thirteenth century, that he hardly participated in class discussions. So much so, that his fellow students surmised that his silence meant that he wasn't very smart nor studious, therefore they collectively nicknamed him "the dumb ox."


His peers must have been surprised when they discovered that not only did he excell in his studies but more so that he proceeded to write great works that he became an authority on theology and philosophy still in use at institutions of major learning today. Thomas Aquinas was undoubtedly a misjudged genius.


How could his class mates have been so wrong? They judged him only by his outward appearance. They didn't really know what he was like on the inside.


The Lord God had told Samuel the Prophet to anoint a new king to rule His people Israel. David the shepherd boy did not appear to be kingly material. His youthfulness did not measure up to the age and stature of his older brother Eliab (1Samuel 16:6). Yet the Lord corrected Samuel's original perception (v.7). David would then progress to be a great warrior and the Lord's chosen ruler of His people (13:14; 18:8; 2 Samuel 7:1-17).


Whenever we are tempted to judge someone by his or her outward appearance, remember the experiences of Thomas Aquinas and King David. The heart is what matters to God, hence the true measure of a person is what's in the heart.