Think of the most beautifully wrapped gift you’ve ever received. Did it live up to the expectations you had after seeing the wrapping? Were you misled by the outward beauty and you felt let down by the gift inside?

Now think of your best friend. Are they a beautifully wrapped gift all the time? Just like everyone else they probably have a few wrinkles in their wrapping paper sometimes. Maybe their edges are frayed or the tape holding them together has lost its hold. Maybe their wrapping has lost its shine as they’ve gotten older. Does that make the contents any less vibrant? The answer is “no”.

Now think of a person you met that surprised you by their inner qualities. Not judging a book by its cover, or a gift by its wrapping, has led to some pretty interesting relationships. You may lose out on a particularly amazing gift of friendship if you concentrate on someone’s wrapping paper.

Look in a mirror. Are you always satisfied with your own wrapping paper? Mine loses its luster when I’m sick and my ribbons (hair) leave a lot to be desired most mornings. I work on my outer wrapping to assure others there is a lot to my contents. Granted, some days I leave the house in plain wrapping paper and other days in more ornate paper, but I am always aware that there are those who are judging me by my wrapping paper.

If we all had the same wrapping paper, by human nature it seems, we would find fault with someone’s ribbons not being curly enough, their edges not being crisply folded, their tape being less than sticky and the wear and tear making them less attractive.

In our human skin, wrapped beautifully in different colors, we tend to judge others by their wrapping paper decorations (tattoos, piercings, etc), the color (whether light or dark or any shade in between), how the wrapping is wrapped (clothes and accessories), the ribbons on top (hair styled in so many different styles – or none at all) mean nothing when we are trying to point out a person is different.

Why can’t we embrace diversity? A child will pick the biggest and most ornate gift set out on a table and be disappointed when there is only an inexpensive toy inside while another child that receives a gift wrapped in newspaper is grateful and surprised at the expensive item inside the wrapping. See with the eyes of a child that has not experienced greed or the socially accepted entitlement that seems to be rampant these days.

Everyone should be grateful for any gift, material or otherwise, and cherish the contents instead of looking for external differences to hold against the gift giver.