Who knows you, and still gives you hope?

A lifetime ago, I was interviewing a potential employee for a grocery store my dad and I operated. As I began asking some questions and getting personal information, the man said, “I need to tell you that I was recently released from prison.“ I said, “Ok.” He then continued, saying, “And I also need to tell you that I was in prison for murder.” He went on to briefly explain to me why he would be a good employee, all things considered.
The whole story of this man’s life was never discovered, by me. He was a great worker. He always did what was asked of him, was prompt, courteous, kind, and all that good stuff. He worked for me until he found a better paying job, at which time he apologized for having to quit, thanked me for hiring him and giving him a chance to start over. Everything I knew and, now, remember about this man tell me that he’s probably living a decent life as a hard working American. I hope so.
Okay, so there’s this story in the Bible about a time Jesus met a woman at a well in the middle of the day. She came to the well at that time because no one was usually there and she could get precious water without the hassles her lifestyle and reputation usually brought her. Jesus asked her to get Him a drink of water. She basically said, “What!? I’m a Samaritan woman. You’re a Jewish man. Our people and genders don’t usually express that sort of kindness toward one another!” Jesus went on to tell her all about herself. We can only imagine the looks on her face and the possible fears welling up inside of her as this stranger, a member of the enemies of her people, was reading her like a book nobody but God could write. Even more vivid in my imagination is the look that must have been on her face when Jesus offered her a hope beyond her wildest dreams. He offered her hope of which He described as never ending. What a gift for, what many would call, an undesirable character of a person!
Jesus looked beyond outward perceptions and circumstances to look at her real character and offered her the hope that few people understand for themselves let alone from a stranger who also represents the enemy.
There are dangerous people in the world. There is no doubt about that. There is also no doubt that people who are far from dangerous are too often denied a crumb of hope by the self-appointed character and hope judgers of the world.
Who really, I mean really, knows you, warts and all, and still loves you and gives you hope every day? They are gifts to be treasured more than all the gold in the world! How many people do you know, warts and all, and still take them for the hope that lives within them? When we give someone’s true character a chance, they will rarely disappoint us. Most people disappoint us because we really don’t expect anything different from them.
I’m a Popeye, sweet potato sort of person: I yam what I yam! I figure that what’s good enough for Jesus ought to be good enough for me. You, whoever you are and whatever is going on in your life, are full of hope because God made you and that means you have a spark of life in you that made everything that is! May we all take a chance on that hope in each other!