We judge others based on what we see on the outside.

Have you watched the clip of Susan Boyle from the show Britain's Got Talent?  I was sent the clip from many people but I normally don't watch these reality shows. The clips I've seen before have always been so painful that I couldn't bring myself to watch this one. Finally enough people were talking about it that I knew I had to at least TRY to watch it.

I've watched it three times now and each time it moves me more and moves me differently.

There are several versions of this video. One is the full length (about 8 minutes) and one is just her once she's on stage.  Watch both of them. The longer one is the most moving but in both clips you can see how the audience was sure -- based on her appearance -- she would be terrible. I'm sure they were ready to laugh at her.

I have to say that, while I wasn't going to laugh at her, I was certainly skeptical (but in my defense I'm always skeptical when I see pieces of these reality shows).

The judges admitted that they were shocked and one even said she was sure the audience was against Susan.

I was embarrassed and sad to admit that was probably true for me too.

Our vision plays a strong role in how we form opinions of the world, but sometimes it forms opinions a little too fast and a little too firmly. This comes into play at work during interviews and on the job with people who we feel are attractive or unattractive, who we feel dress well or don't dress well.

And yet, as people of faith, we know that it's what's inside a person that counts most. As a corporate recruiter I've seen people who may not have been the snaziest of dressers yet who had the smarts and the work experience to be the best candidate for the job not get selected by hiring managers. And yet, our appearance plays an important role in how customers perceive us and the company we work for.

I think the challenge for us as people of faith on the job is to be aware of how easy it is for us to judge others based on what we're seeing on the outside and as much as possible taking the time to look for their inner value.