He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his car looked like it was a refugee from a junkyard. Yet the unkempt man who stopped to help them on the Chicago expressway was, to my friends, angelic.

While traveling the busy highways of Chicago, Ken and Sue's van blew a tire. As they edged toward the shoulder of the expressway, with cars flying past, they quickly prayed for help. That's when the man in the rusty car waved and yelled to them that he would help.

Most of us are reluctant to trust complete strangers, so my friends were understandably wary of this scraggly man. Yet they soon found out that he was a mechanic who himself had been stranded just days earlier. He grabbed his tools, got to work on their car, and quickly had them back on the road.

We often judge people by the way they look or dress, or by what kind of car they drive. Sure, we must be careful whom we trust, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss everyone who doesn't dress like a television news anchor.

People come in all sizes, colors, and conditions. Before we set aside those who don't match our personal standards, we need to remind ourselves that our Creator doesn't play favorites (Gal. 2:6). Neither should we.  — Dave Branon