It’s honestly pretty easy to be impressed by people.
We naturally notice confidence, success, charisma, talent, appearance, money, influence — all the things our culture constantly tells us matter. Even in church, we can subtly give more attention to the polished speaker, the successful family, the talented musician, or the person who seems to “have it together.” Meanwhile, quieter or struggling people can become almost invisible.
The problem is that Scripture repeatedly tells us that God does not see people the way we do.
When Samuel went looking for the next king of Israel, he immediately noticed the strongest, most impressive-looking man in the room. But God stopped him and said, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God chose David instead — the kid nobody even thought to invite into the lineup.
Jesus did this constantly too. He paid attention to people everyone else overlooked: the poor, the sick, the socially awkward, the outsiders, the people with bad reputations. At the same time, He challenged people who were obsessed with titles, status, and public recognition.
James gets especially direct about this in James 2. He paints a picture of a rich man walking into church and getting treated like a VIP while a poor man gets pushed aside. Then James asks a hard question: “Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:4).
That hits a little closer to home than we might like.
The Gospel reminds us that every one of us stands on equal ground before God. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us earn extra value because we’re successful, talented, educated, influential, or well-liked.
That should change the way we see people.
The awkward visitor matters. The lonely teenager matters. The exhausted parent matters. The recovering addict matters. The elderly widow matters. The person who doesn’t quite fit in matters.
People are not valuable because they impress us. They are valuable because they matter to God.