I look at hearts for a living. Every day, I take an ultrasound probe and I look into people’s chests. I look at the blood flow through the valves and chambers. I assess the size, shape, function, and Doppler velocities.

After many years of doing this, I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter what the person looks like laying beside me when I’m looking at the screen. I’m only looking at their heart. The person I’m scanning could be black, white, Asian, overweight, anorexic, 95 years old, 18 years old, atheist, smoker, vegan, a millionaire, homeless, a criminal, or a family member. I can’t tell by the way their heart looks on my screen.

If I could only see the images or was scanning through a sheet, I could only guess who that person is, what they look like, or how they live. It could be the cardiologist who reads my tests, for all I know!

This got me thinking about the God we serve. He knit us together in our mother’s wombs. He created our hearts physically and spiritually…the same. To physically pump and fire in a certain way. To spiritually crave Him. To seek Him for satisfaction when the world fails us. To love others and to find our greatest joy in serving Him. So, we are the same.

Yet, this same God who created each one of us in His image also thrives on variety. He made us to look differently, gifted us differently, walks us through different stories, and gives us different passions and interests. He loves variety. So, we are different.

I look at hearts every day but I am so relieved that nobody knows our hearts like the One who created them. He sees all of them and He loves us anyway and even though. He inspires and strengthens them. He pushes them to share and He helps them to rest.

The next time you see someone who looks or acts differently than you think about the fact that their heart is beating in their chest just like yours. And, it is also loved just like yours.