The blemish is the first thing people focus upon when they first meet someone with a blemish. The blemish stands out and attracts attention, stealing the viewer’s eyes and mind from everything else. It takes only a fraction of a second, but it’s inevitable. People focus on the blemish first and often can’t look beyond it.
Why is that? And how can we get beyond that?
Why People Stare at Your Blemishes
Blemishes stand out because they aren’t supposed to be there. When you see a blemish on someone’s face, you know it’s an imperfection and since it is abnormal, your eyes are drawn to that which is abnormal. Your mind wonders why it’s there. This doesn’t mean you’re attracted to the abnormal, it just means your mind is trying to figure out why that abnormality is there. It’s intriguing, so to speak.
It’s so intriguing that many people make jokes about it. They make fun of the person because of his or her blemish, indicating they haven’t really seen the value of that person. They haven’t looked beyond the blemish to see the real person.
The same is true about people’s character imperfections. Think about the people you know right now. I bet there is at least one thing about every person you know that you perceive as imperfect. I’m sure you can find at least one imperfection about each person you know and meet. Nobody is perfect, and there’s so much imperfection to look at that often we never get past that to see the true heart of the person.
Do you stare at the blemish or are you able to look beyond it to see the person’s heart and soul?
How to Look Beyond the Blemish
To look beyond the blemish, you have to train your mind.
The first step is to realize that you have your own blemishes. You may or may not have visible physical blemishes, but you surely have character blemishes. Nobody is perfect. Realizing you have your own imperfections is the first step at looking beyond other’s character blemishes.
The next step is to believe God’s Word that he loves absolutely everyone in the world unconditionally. Unconditional love is what God is all about, and he accepts all who come to him.
Romans 15:7 Therefore receive one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Likewise, we too are to accept, or ‘receive’ others in the same way Christ has accepted or received us. To do that we have to accept the ‘other’ person with all his or her physical and character blemishes.
Are you able to do that?
Are you able to accept other people in spite of their issues? It’s harder than it sounds, I know, but it is possible. Just realize you had your own issues when you came to Christ. You may even have a few blemishes left over that still need our Savior’s healing.
I have a blemish… maybe two or three… maybe more. And I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and I love my neighbor as much as I love myself. When I fail to do either of these, my heart is to get back on track and in stride with God’s Word. God has accepted me through his son, Jesus and will never reject me.
Learn to accept other people as they are. Also know that it’s not your job to ‘fix’ them. God and his son Jesus will heal all ills this world has known, and they are the ones who will work in the heart of that blemished soul you find hard to accept and associate with. Your job is to simply bring people to the Lord and help them learn God’s Word. Let God work within you to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do your part and the Lord will definitely do his.
Here are a few verses for you to think about regarding thigns you consider blemishes in other people.
Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged.
Romans 14:1-4 14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Accepting someone means we don’t judge them in disputable matters.
Romans 15:1-7 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Unity in the body of Christ is only achievable when we overlook the blemishes of other people and get likeminded on the truth of God’s Word.
Blemishes are obvious, they attract attention and they steal people away from seeing the true value of the people they are on. Let’s trust God to see beyond the blemishes so we can truly love people and help them along their walk with our Father God.