2596) As a language arts teacher in the second half of my career, I had my young scholars write a 100-200 word journal, with a different prompt each day.

The students actually enjoyed this because I tried to come up with unique and interesting prompts.

There were prompts that my young scholars consistently found difficult; however. It always involved writing about things they do well, what their strong points are, or are proud of themselves for.

I’m not surprised by this because it seems to be easier to find our faults rather than our excellence.

Keeping this in mind, 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that people look at and emphasize our outward appearances, but God looks at our hearts.

It’s easy to think God sees all my mistakes, weaknesses, and sin but it’s also important to realize that God also sees my self-control, good motives, and the use of the gifts and abilities he has given me. When God examines our hearts, he doesn’t just see where we fell short but he also sees where we excelled.