“Do not consider how handsome or tall he is. I have not chosen him. I do not look at the things people look at. Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. But I look at what is in the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIrV)
Kate looked down at her skirt. No matter which way she twisted it, she just couldn’t make it fit right. Even worse, the material was starting to fade from the many times it had been washed.
Across the locker room, her friend Libby stood in front of a mirror. As Kate watched, Libby carefully brushed her long hair until it hung smoothly down her back. But it wasn’t Libby’s silky auburn hair that made Kate feel out of it. It was her awesome top and jeans, dangly earrings, and sandals.
Kate was quiet as she and Libby walked home from school. Though they’d been best friends for years, something was changing.
Libby broke the silence. “Kate, is something wrong?”
Kate shook her head. She didn’t want to admit how she felt.
“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” Libby said.
Kate started kicking a stone along the edge of the street. I’d like to bring back the old days, she thought. Sometimes I feel so far away from Libby. Yet she felt embarrassed to say anything.
“Remember how we always shared secrets?” asked Libby.
Kate smiled, but the ache didn’t leave her heart. I’m afraid to tell her, she thought. Maybe she won’t like me anymore.
But Libby knew her too well. “Spit it out, Kate,” she said.
Finally Kate spoke. “Sometimes I don’t feel like your friend anymore. We used to be alike, and now we’re different.”
“What do you mean?” asked Libby.
Kate could barely get the words out. “Our clothes,” she said.
“Ohhh.” Understanding came into Libby’s eyes. “And that’s why you’ve been acting strange lately?”
“But clothes shouldn’t make any difference between us!”
Kate choked on the words, hardly able to speak. “My clothes are so old. But you have a whole closet full of wonderful, beautiful tops. The latest style in jeans. Jeweled flip-flops.”
For a long moment, Libby was silent. When she spoke, she sounded as if she’d been thinking hard. “Kate, what if you had a bunch of nice clothes and I didn’t? How would you treat me?”
The question surprised Kate. Her gaze met Libby’s. “It wouldn’t make any difference.”
Libby smiled. “I know,” she said. “And I’ve got an idea.”
Kate looked at her and waited, afraid to hope.
More to Explore: 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Matthew 6:25 – 34
Girl Talk: Are there times when you feel embarrassed because your clothes aren’t the same as those worn by other kids?
God Talk: “God, protect me from thinking I’m worth something only if I have clothes like everyone else. I want to please you with the way I am in my heart. Amen.”
From Girl Talk by Lois Wilfred Johnson