How many have heard of or read the story of the coat of many colors? I’m not just talking about the Dolly Parton’s song either.

Dolly Parton was born January 19, 1946 in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center, Tennessee. She was the 4th of 12 children. Her father was a sharecropper. You could say that she lived her songs like the Coat of Many Colors.

Back in the seasons of my youth, I recall a box of rags that someone gave us, and how my momma put the rags to use. They were rags of many colors. As she sewed the rags together to make a coat, she told a story from the Bible she had read about a coat of many colors, Joseph worn. Although we had no money, I was rich as I could be.

There was a man in the Old Testament by the name of Joseph. He was the second to the youngest of Jacob’s sons. He was Jacob’s favorite because he was born to him in his old age. Jacob had made a richly ornament robe for him. His brothers were jealous of him and they sold him into slavery.

This is not the fact that he was Jacob’s favorite. It was the idea that he was given a coat of many colors. This coat made him feel special; much like Dolly Parton felt when she wrote and sang her song, “Coat of Many Colors.”

Both Joseph and Dolly worn that coat proudly; even though to some it was considered weird.

Years ago, there was a comedian by name of Red Skelton,who would dressed like a clown or as a homeless person with a coat-much like the coat of many colors. He wore it proud. Some may laugh at how he was dress.

Have you ever did a double take when you would see someone dressed very oddly; in which you would have to look twice in confusion? Have you ever thought how odd they look and judge them unfairly for it?

I have a confession here: I have to admit, I’ve done that myself. Before I got to know a young man, named Joey, the first time I saw him dressed differently in clothes that a woman would wear, I caught myself doing a double take and staring at him. I felt he was odd and out of place. That was before I got a chance to know him and his story. It was before I had a chance to minister to him by being there for him. It was before I had grown attach to him.

If you happened to see someone dressing abnormal, don’t judge the book by the cover, take the time to get to know that person. Who knows, you might be entertaining a king or a rich person.

In the Cinderella’s story, Cinderella lost her glass slipper after running away before the clock struck midnight. She lost her one slipper. When Prince Charming came calling, trying to see who the slipper belong to, he never thought that it belong to Cinderella. She was the last person he expected.

When Samuel went to anoint the new king to replace Saul, he went to the house of Jesse. He never expected it to be David because of his small stature, In 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

In some churches, some members would frown on anyone who doesn’t come dressed up. If they see someone dressed in blue jeans instead of a suit and tie, they are treated as someone who may have leprosy, making them feel unwelcome.

You never know, you could meet Jesus and not know it. Man looks at the outward appearance; while God looks at the heart. The Lord knows what is in our heart.

Growing up, we never had the best clothes but my mother did the best she could to make sure that us kids were dressed nice with new school clothes every year. We didn’t wear brand named clothes like the rich kids in our school. Our clothes were bought at Kmart. Sometimes, my mother would dressed us younger kids like twins; even though we weren’t. She hated when her mother would dressed her and her younger sister like twins; but she did it herself.

If you happened to see someone dress to what seems abnormal, remember not to judge that person but rather take a chance to get to know them. Remember, man looks at the outward appearance; while God looks at the heart. Who knows, you might be seeing Jesus and not know it. You might be entertaining a king or someone rich and not know it. If you are in church and see someone not dress in a suit and tie; but rather blue jeans with holes in them. Or if you see someone wearing clothes that maybe they shouldn’t be wearing because they are meant for the opposite sex, don’t judge them for it. If you see someone wearing a coat of many colors like in Dolly Parton’s song or like Joseph had worn, don’t laugh at them and ridicule them. We are all God’s children!