There are so many ways to see the same person. God chooses a vision that is redemptive, with eyes of grace, compassion, and hope. And he wants us to see people the same way — to see them for who they could be if they knew just how much Jesus loves them and wants to transform them.

To see, we need light, and Jesus is the light source that we need.

Imagine how seeing others the way Jesus does might change the way you react to people, the way it might change you! When you see the homeless person on the corner, your heart will hurt. When you notice someone is having a horrible day, you will care.

It’s hard to open our eyes and really see the world around us, to be aware of the brokenness and hurt. It’s hard to open our hearts and feel compassion for them the way Jesus does, to feel the weight of their eternal destiny. It takes real courage and vulnerability to open up our hearts and feel the pain of those who are lost. We feel safer keeping our eyes on ourselves and on other Christians. But that’s not having a redemptive vision. That’s not seeing every person just as Jesus does.

If we keep our eyes closed, we won’t experience as much hurt, but we also won’t experience nearly as much joy. We’ll have so much less to celebrate.

updated September 2019