Contempt Before Investigation
When I first stepped into the rooms of AA, I felt out of place. Looking around, I saw people covered in tattoos, worn down by life, looking far older than their years. My instinct was fear—these aren’t my people. I was ready to turn away.
But there’s a phrase often spoken in the rooms: “contempt before investigation.” It means we dismiss what we don’t understand before we’ve taken the time to truly see it.
The truth is, I had judged the cover of the book without ever opening its pages. I thought I saw brokenness—but when I stayed long enough to listen, I discovered something far greater. I saw the beauty of their souls. Beneath the rough edges, I found men and women being remade by grace, with hearts open and alive in a way the world often overlooks.
And isn’t this just how God works? Jesus chose fishermen, tax collectors, zealots—the broken, the dispirited, the outcasts—to become His disciples. They didn’t look like leaders, yet they carried His message of hope and redemption to the world. What the world despised, God entrusted with eternity.
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
— John 7:24
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:27
The tattoos, the miles of hardship etched on faces, the weary eyes—all of these are not the essence of a person. They are mile markers of a journey. And often, those journeys reveal a strength and surrender to God that far outshines anything the world calls “respectable.”
Just as God told Samuel:
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
Reflection
Have you ever dismissed someone—or even an entire group—because of how they looked, only to later find God’s grace alive in them? Where in your life do you need to push past contempt and move into investigation, listening, and compassion?
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve judged Your children by their scars, their age, their tattoos, or their weary faces. Give me eyes to see beyond appearances, to the heart where You dwell. Remind me that You often use the broken, the weary, and the least likely to carry Your greatest message. May I look on others with compassion and honor the beauty of their souls. Amen.
