MAY 30, 1 Samuel 16:6-7

Bee Lan watched eagerly as Mrs. Tan held up an ugly old stone. “This looks like an ordinary rock, doesn’t it?” said Mrs. Tan. Then she turned it around. The rock had been cut open, and the class could see beautiful, sparkling crystals on the inside. “This kind of stone is called a geode,” said Mrs. Tan, “and I have a small piece of a geode for each one of you.” She handed a box to a boy in the front row. “When the box comes around to you, you may each take out a piece to keep.”

Bee Lan was delighted – this would make a nice addition to the rock collection she had at home. She selected one of the pieces, then turned and handed the box to Claire, who sat behind her. Bee Lan had never been interested in getting to know Claire. Claire had big, crooked teeth and wasn’t very pretty. She’s almost as ugly as the outside of the geode, thought Bee Lan to herself.

As Bee Lan was running down the school steps at the end of the day, someone bumped hard into her. Her books and stacks of paper were strewn all over the place.The person who had bumped into her didn’t even stop, neither did several other kids who were leaving. Soon almost everyone was gone.

Bee Lan was picking up her trampled belongings when she heard a voice. “Hi, let me help you.” Bee Lan looked up and saw Claire kneeling beside her, gathering the pieces of paper that were strewn all over the floor.

“Thanks,” mumbled Bee Lan. She was so surprised that she couldn’t think of anything else to say as they gathered the rest of her things.

“Oh! Here’s your stone!” exclaimed Claire. She picked up the piece of geode from the bottom step and handed it to Bee Lan. “Rocks are interesting, aren’t they?”

Bee Lan nodded and took the stone. “People can be like geodes – not very pretty on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. Like Claire,” she thought. “I should have remembered the Sunday school lessons I’ve had – those about God seeing what’s inside a person.” Bee Lan smiled at Claire. “Would you like to come over to my house and see my rock collection?” asked Bee Lan.

Happily, Claire nodded.

Thought: Do you choose your friends by the way they look?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me not judge people by their outward appearance but rather treat every person fairly. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.