Assume Nothing
Too many times we see things from the outside and immediately make assumptions. We do this most often with people.
Everyone has heard the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But we do.
I just released a book, and my publisher spent time thinking through what he believed would make a great cover. Why? Because people pay attention to covers. We buy bottles of wine based on logos and bottle shapes. Some of us purchase cars we know are prone to breakdowns simply because they look cool. The makeup industry exists to enhance appearance.
We make a lot of assumptions based on first impressions—on what we see on the outside.
But lately I’ve been reminded that things are not always what they seem. We’re all very good at hiding what’s insecure. We’re great at faking what doesn’t come naturally. Sometimes we feel that needing others for their strengths only highlights our weaknesses.
These aren’t assumptions I’m making—they come from real conversations with real people.
The truth? We’re all weak. Strong in certain areas of life, sure, but weak overall. Fragile. Mortal. In constant need of strength—and ultimately, in need of a Savior before our time is up. That’s a fact.
As Christians, we don’t have to put on false covers for one another. Our weaknesses are okay. In fact, they’re how we truly learn to rely on Jesus. Check this out:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9–10
Here Paul reminds us that true strength doesn’t come from presenting ourselves as something we’re not, but from relying on the One who supplies it—the One who has conquered death and overcome what overtakes so many of us in this life.
We see this again in Philippians 4:11–13:
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
What can Paul do through Christ who gives him strength? He can be content.
His outer circumstances don’t sway him one way or the other. When in need—God is his aim and his strength. In times of plenty—he gives thanks to God. There’s no false sense of self and no need to mask what’s true. His contentment lies entirely in the free gift of grace.
So this message is to my fellow believers:
We don’t want to become walking puddles of weakness—that’s not what living a full life for Christ looks like. But we must guard ourselves from living as the world does: drawing from our own strength, only to mask what’s really there. Making an impression with our cover, while quietly knowing what lies beneath.
Find a peer, a mentor, a spiritual brother or sister who can see behind the cover—someone who doesn’t have to assume. Strengthen each other by turning to the Lord with your troubles, your questions, and your praises.
Let’s be great examples of true strength—not by what we present, but by Who we draw from. Let’s drink deeply from the well of living water, and eat from the bread of life.
Be a beacon of strength today—by embracing who you are, and who He is.
-Mark
