Walking with the Wise #259: Reading People

“Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.”
—Proverbs 16:30

The other day, my toddler son was aggravating one of his older sisters. I called to him and asked him to stop. He turned and looked at me, laughed, and then ran away, thinking that I was playing a game with him and not realizing that I was serious. I followed him, picked him up as he was laughing, made him face me, and then told him with my voice and face that I was serious and this was no game. His countenance dropped and laughter was replaced with tears as it finally dawned on him that he was in trouble.

My young son is learning to do what we already are masters of—reading people. We learn to do it as babies, when we stare up from our cribs to see our parents and from them we learn what it means to smile, express compassion, or empathy, love, anger, sorrow, or disappointment. It takes time to learn, but as we grow, we are able to do it in our parents’ faces and in the faces of those around us.

However, some of us are better at reading what others are thinking or feeling. I have a friend who is a student of reading people. He is excellent at watching and discerning what a person is thinking by watching their mannerisms, facial expressions, as well as pace and tone of their words. He is able to tell, rather accurately, if someone is hurt, uncomfortable, agitated, irritated, encouraged or disappointed. And while his ability is much more trained than others, we all have the ability to do it if we simply learn to watch and listen to people, which is what today’s passage teaches. It’s not as if everyone who winks their eye at us is planning something dishonest, but that they reveal the evil intent of their heart through their facial expressions. No matter whether or not he is trying to use his nonverbal signals for his partners in crime, or he is being friendly, but deceptive, we are to be on guard as Jesus said, “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”—Matthew 10:16.

Don’t focus your trust on man, but on the Lord. Many a man or woman of God has been deceived by those plotting evil for the fulfillment of their own sinful wants and purposes, so as God’s people, love God, love people, and be discerning with all who you come into contact with so that you might live as free and wise citizens who believe in the Sovereignty of our Lord, but are discerning and aware of the sinfulness of man. Amen.