Today is Halloween, and not matter what you think about it, my kids are awfully cute dressed up. I, being the good dad, must make sure they do not get too much sugar in one sitting. Therefore, I eat all the chocolate after they go to sleep! It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

One of the intriguing parts of Halloween is seeing everyone dressed up in costume. They take on different personas as they don their wares. Unfortunately, many times we adults do the same thing day after day. The problem is, we do not take them off after a night of getting candy. No, we continue to wear them until perception becomes reality for us and we begin to become the persona we wear. BUT LET US MAKE NO MISTAKE IN OUR THINKING, GOD is not fooled by our public, outward persona. God sees deep into the midst of our souls and knows our true selves. And here is the rub: instead of seeing someone who is “bad” or in “need of repair”, God sees beauty, giftedness, and potential in us that we are unaware that exists. All of this is so clear when we view the story of Rahab.

Joshua 2 narrates the story of the Hebrews preparing to conquer Jericho. Two spies were sent to discover what Jericho was like and report back. Here they are protected by a prostitute named Rahab who hides them from the King of Jericho who is looking to kill them in hopes of stopping the attack. Here is what sticks in my mind: GOD entrusted the spies to a prostitute who faithfully completed the task she willingly volunteered for. She was wholly unprepared and not deserving (in worldly terms) of being used by God. And yet God looked at Rahab’s potential and not her current state. God saw Rahab as a person of immeasurable worth and giftedness.

May that we too look at a person’s potential and not current state. We serve a God who is full of grace and mercy and love and power. It is those traits that changes a person from the inside out. Or maybe more appropriately, unlocks the potential in which we were created and designed to live out. And it is up to us to give everyone an opportunity to meet God and be unlocked. We are to be invitational. We are to be free from pre-judgment. We are to, through our actions and words, encourage others to free themselves from all earthly struggles and be obedient to God.