Never Judge a Book by its Cover

I have always thought that canvassing was a doorway to wonderful and rewarding experiences, an opportunity for spiritual enrichment and growth in faith. However, I will not deny that, notwithstanding this, canvassing can be a little difficult for me at times. I can be a little shy, especially considering the fact that I have found that there are some individuals out there who simply seem to make one feel more skittish, nervous, or more intimidated. Perhaps it is their height or the look on their face when they open the door, or perhaps it may simply be the clothes they are wearing. Whatever the case, we sometimes go as far as to think to ourselves: “Why even bother? They don’t look like they’d ever want to read a book like this.” And so we give up before we even as much as introduce ourselves. This may happen even when we aren’t canvassing. We may see someone crossing the street or someone shopping in the store, and we automatically pass judgment on them and think: “Oh my! That person looks so far gone! Even if I tried talking to them about Jesus, they most likely would not even listen.” I am sure most, if not all of us, know how wrong it is to “judge a book by its cover.” We know we should never think thoughts like these, yet how many times we do! It seems almost impossible to avoid—ALMOST. Sometimes we must have a personal experience with someone in this regard for us to finally learn that indeed, we see only faces but not hearts. Such was my case. It happened when I was canvassing in Los Angeles about two years ago.

On a warm summer day I walked down the curb to the next house in one of the many neighborhoods situated in the outskirts of Los Angeles. It was almost time for lunch and I still hadn’t sold anything. I was hoping to sell at least one book before having to stop and eat lunch. With that thought in mind, I knocked at the next house which happened to be the last house on that curb. I knocked again, and yet again. No one came to the door so I figured no one was home and continued down the next street as the curb turned toward the right. I passed the backyard of the house I had just knocked at and heard male voices. The backyard was surrounded by a relatively high brick wall, so I peaked in through some large cracks and saw three young African American men engaged in conversation. They were dressed in oversized T-shirts, pants that hung lower than advisable, baseball caps worn backward, and so forth. Now I was extremely hesitant. I don’t know how long I stood by that wall or how many times I walked by it, trying to talk myself into—or out of (not sure which one it was)—stepping into that backyard and speaking to these three young men. Naturally, I didn’t expect any of them to buy any book I had. And there was another problem. I felt quite nervous and intimidated, and perhaps even a little scared. But in my mind resounded the words: “Skip a door, skip a blessing.” This phrase had been repeated over and over by our canvassing leader. And so, I decided to make a deal with myself since I couldn’t decide what to do. Lunch was supposed to be at 12:30, so I decided that if it was 12:30 I would leave, and if it was before 12:30, I would stay and muster up the courage to talk to those three men. I looked at my watch, it was 12:29. I couldn’t believe it! God must really want me to do this, I thought. It was settled for me. There was no more reason to hesitate and think about. I would walk into that yard and canvass them.

I took a deep breath, said a short but fervent prayer in my mind, and took a determined step into the backyard. I felt all three sets of eyes immediately rest on me. I took another deep breath. I managed to hide my nervousness by offering a big smile and saying in the friendliest tone possible: “Hello! How are you all doing today?” I presented several of the books to them and then I came to The Great Controversy. I felt impressed to spend extra time and effort in drawing their attention and sparking their interest in this book. And it worked! Before I knew what was happening, one of the young men had decided to buy The Great Controversy and was heading into the house to look for his wallet. That day, I was completely convinced of two things: Never judge a book by its cover, and never skip a house.

I strongly believe that God can use one book to save a soul. And just to think that if I hadn’t decided to ignore the negative feelings I was experiencing as well as my preconceived ideas regarding these young men and hadn’t walked into that backyard, this young man would have never bought The Great Controversy. In addition, this might have been the only chance he would get in his life to get hold of such a book. What a solemn thought! Indeed, we should never pass judgments on anyone we see or meet, for only God knows the heart. As God’s ambassadors we have one job, and this is to spread the seeds of truth. It is not up to us to decide who we think will accept them and who will not, or in which heart they will bear fruit and in which they will not. All we can see is what meets the human eye. We should always remember that “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). In addition, we are to “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). In this verse God clearly does not authorize exceptions, and He does not say we get to pick and choose who we share His word with. Many times the ones we consider most unlikely are the ones “ready for harvest”—the ones most in need of and the ones who are waiting for what we have to share!

It might not always be easy, particularly at first. But we must remember that God will give us the courage we need and He will give us the words to speak. We can claim the wonderful and reassuring promise He made to Moses in Exodus 4:12—“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” With such a promise, we have no excuse! And more importantly, we have no reason to feel intimidated, nervous, or fearful. God is with us.