Seeing Is to Be Living
With a clearer version of God’s vision of your individual worth and knowing that peace is possible in all the pieces; and knowing that God still sees your eternal worth and can help you find your way through the storms of life—with the love and sacrifice of your Savior, Jesus Christ—there is another ability and responsibility for the availability of your eyes and your heart.
When you realize that you are not cast off forever and that God still loves you, you will find the strength to endure and desire to live a higher, holier, happier life.
The First and Great Commandment
Speaking boldly to the Sadducee trying to trick Him, Jesus answers that the first and great commandment is to love God and the very next commandment is to love others—including ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40). Jesus explains how to not only love greater, but enhances the value of the vision to see and love others three chapters later. When we do something to love, serve and improve another’s life, we are doing the same for and unto our Savior (Matthew 25:34-44). However, if we do nothing, being blinded by pride, despair, or fear, Jesus adds we are not doing it unto Him (v45-v46).
If we truly want to love others, then perhaps a more proactive Christian catchphrase should be, “See something, do something.”
The Passport of the Past
In learning to not only see God (and how He sees you) but to love Him and to believe in and receive His love for you—including learning to love yourself—how then should you also seek to see the worth and value of others? First and foremost, the key to seeing someone (including yourself) through God’s eyes and heart, is not through the passport of their past—their convicting stamps from every stumble and tumble—but the itinerary of their heart (1 Samuel 6:7) and to where (and to Who) their future footsteps and heartbeats are headed.
Believing in someone’s future (especially your own) when staring only at the mistakes of the past is not easy, especially when it seems easier, quicker to judge someone by their temporal track record, race or religion.
Eternal and Unconditional Love
What causes us to forget that we are each a child of God and all have access to His love, mercy and forgiveness? Is not this one of the greatest deceptions of the devil—that transgressors and sinners are no longer worthy of, or even worth God’s time, let alone His love? Not only unworthy of His love, but “worthy” of our own personal persecution more than our compassion (Matthew 7:1-5)?
The world may have distracted and blinded you to your true worth in God’s eyes and heart, but I promise you, He is not distracted or discouraged and He still loves YOU!
Name Changer, Game (life) Changer
Speaking of persecution; ever heard of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 22)? His life included the persecuting, imprisoning and even executing of Christians. Yet, Jesus—not justifying his wickedness—still saw Saul’s heart and the good he could still do with his life. You now know Saul better as Paul, Jesus’ beloved, entrusted, apostle. If God can still see the beauty and worth in Paul’s heart, He can surely see the beauty and worth in your heart and all the good that you can still do in and with your life!
Do you need to change your name before you can change your life? Do you have to travel your own Road to Damascus before you realize the value of every soul, including your own?
Whether your roads lead to Damascus, Gethsemane, Golgotha, down the hallway, or next door to a neighbor in need, may we each reach for and turn to the Lord today; to help us not only see through God’s eyes and heart, but to have our eyes and hearts transformed through faith and by God’s greater love for ourselves and others (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). May the Lord blind each of us with His light of love as he did Saul, to open our eyes and hearts that we may truly see and learn to love as God loves, so that we may bless each other in all we say and do; no matter where we courageously travel.