What 1 Samuel 16:7 means to me…

In 1 Samuel 16:7, it says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God made us unique in our own ways. He chose to make us different from others for a reason. When I see myself, I think of all the bad things that I have done, or I think of how I am not good enough or pretty enough, but God does not see those flaws. He sees us as a perfect creation.

When someone says that I need to see myself just as God sees me, it means I need to focus on the positive things I CAN do instead of the things I can’t do. God made me perfect in my own way. For example, if you sin, God forgives and forgets. He doesn’t think about it every time He sees you.

If someone puts you down, you have to forgive them just like God would. Don’t bring up their mistake every time you talk to them or see them. God sees good things, so I need to see myself as a good thing. – Poppy R., 9th grade

What 1 Samuel 16:7 means to me…

When I think of 1 Samuel 16:7, I remember how so many people only look at the outside, not the inside. I am reminded of how much God loves us. He will never care about our insecurities. Psalm 121:3-8 shows how much God loves and cares for us. He will always forgive us and watch over us. 

In the book of Samuel, we see how looks can be deceiving. What’s on the inside matters most. I think of Saul. Samuel chose him because of his Jewish heritage and looks. It turns out that he was a very bad king. He made bad decisions and was disobedient to God. 

In biblical terms, the heart shows our true character and relationship with God. For example, whenever I saw my great-grandma, I thought she looked scary, but I would not be here without her. She went from Colombia to New York and then brought her kids to Texas. One of her kids is my grandma, my father’s mom. If she never got to go to Texas, I would not be here.

My great-grandma helped many families. She helped them travel and provided food and water. She is now 93 years old. She is a lady whose heart God sees. We should all try to see as God sees.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for everything you have done for us. Help us not to look at the outside but on the inside. Help us to see as God sees, for we are all created in God’s image. In Jesus’ name, Amen.   – Ava B., 7th grade

What 1 Samuel 16:7 means to me…

To me, the verse means not to judge a book by its cover. I can apply this by not caring about how people look, but about whether they are kind, caring, or nice. It is hard when they’re not nice, even when I try to be nice. I can grow by continuing to be kind to them.  – Kai F., sixth grade

The theme of the verse is to look at someone’s heart and personality instead of their looks or clothes. It is good to see as God sees because then we will live a more positive or love filled life. The first time I see someone, I don’t always look at them like God does. I can grow in those areas by looking at the positive in people.  – Nile N., sixth grade

The theme for the 2024-25 school year is See As God Sees. Based on the verse 1 Samuel 16:7, the theme encourages students to look at one another as God looks at each of us, focusing on the heart.

One of our primary goals in Bible class is for students to study God’s Word, not just to memorize verses, but to learn how to interpret and apply scripture to their daily lives. It’s encouraging to see our students across grade levels embrace the Bible with such enthusiasm. We thought we’d share some of their responses to this year’s verse each week.  

What 1 Samuel 16:7 means to me…

He always looks at the heart. He sees me by how I act. I want to see how God sees so I can know instead of assume. It’s hard to know someone when you don’t know them at the same time. I will grow by reading the Bible and to pray.  – Henry M., sixth grade

To me the verse 1 Samuel 16:7 means don’t choose people based on their appearance, think about being friends with them based on the inside. This applied to me in real life whenever I came to Westbury and chose people to hang around with. I got to know them before I hung out with them. It’s important that we really get to know other people instead of judging them based on their appearance.  – Braylon B., sixth grade