I tilt my head a bit to look for myself in his stick figure drawing. I wonder is this truly how he sees me? He waits.
“Is that me?” I ask.
Pen in hand, like Picasso, he nods. Proudly. Seriously.
I resist the “looks just like me,” response and go for the, “that’s so good!” instead.
“It’s you Gamma,” he confirms. We both step back and silently contemplate.
The insightful drawings of a four-year-old brings this question to my mind, “How do I see people?”
And, to be honest, my answer, makes me a little uncomfortable, because often when I see others, it’s filtered through my own comparative lens. And my answer often comes with inordinate speed.
- Rich or poor?
- Fat or thin?
- Attractive or plain?
- Pleasant or Sand Paper?
- Friendly or reserved?
- Outgoing or shy?
- Confident or insecure?
- Politically aligned or opposed?
How do you see people?
I often see people with labels attached, and those tags may either dismiss or enlarge who they are in my esteem.
When God asked Samuel to anoint a king, He told him where to go and which family the king would come from. Yet, with all that, Samuel’s choice faltered because of the appearance of the men who paraded past him. Seven of the brothers looked hunky-dory to Samuel. He labelled them king material, but the Lord did not choose any of them.
“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
Jesus chose Saul on the road to Damascus. Notorious in the Christian community, he was a murderer, and a blasphemer. In no way did he seem fit to become a follower of Jesus. Yet, Jesus proclaimed him “a chosen vessel” to bear His name “before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15 NKJV)
The Father does that. He chooses not by what we see, or because anyone deserves it. He chooses in mercy. He sees in grace.
He picked Abraham out of paganism to become the Father of a nation. He chose twelve distinctly different disciples to turn the world upside down. He visited a young virgin to be the mother of the Christ-Child. None of them earned their label.
Yet, no one remains the same after His choosing.
How does God see us?
We are new creatures, the old is gone. He sees us as forgiven, reconciled to God and ambassadors of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
He sees us blessed, chosen, loved, adopted and redeemed. (Ephesians 1:3-15)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (Ephesians 1:7).
How grateful I am that God sees past all the labels which could be attached to my being, and gazes deep within to where a forgiven grandma finds a striking resemblance in a simple drawing.
For surely the greatest proof that God sees differently than I do, is that He reached down and chose me to belong to Him.
How do you see people?
Discussion
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