I recently purchased a bag of mandarin oranges. The first one I selected for my snack had some discoloration on the outside. I considered throwing it away. I decided to peel it but was skeptical about the condition of the inside fruit. To my surprise, the slices were plump and sweet. I was glad that I did not judge the orange by its outward appearance.
This reminds me about the story when the Lord told Samuel to find a man named Jesse in Bethlehem, because the Lord had selected one of his sons to be the king. First Samuel 16:17 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his (Jesse’s son, Eliab) appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things they way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NLT)