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