Early Saturday morning, I woke to thunder booming in deep musical tones as lightning danced in the dark morning sky. I settled into my recliner, mindlessly sipping my morning java and perusing social media. A post that a friend shared popped up in my feed. The message quickly cleared my morning cobwebs and drew me into immediate introspection.
In a world filled with people looking hard to see the worst, the writer inspired me to ask myself, “What if we choose to see people differently? What if we look beyond the surface to see the heart Jesus dearly loves despite the circumstances that usually label people? What if we saw others through the eyes of Jesus? ”
Copy of the post:
What if, instead of seeing a prostitute, we saw the child who was sexually assaulted?
What if, instead of seeing an addict, we saw a child who was exposed to addiction?
What if, instead of seeing an adulterer, we saw a child who never felt loved?
What if, instead of seeing a beggar, we saw a veteran who wasn’t cared for by the country he served?
What if, instead of seeing an alcoholic, we saw a mother who had to put her child in the ground?
What if, instead of seeing an atheist, we saw someone who was deeply wounded by the church?
What if, instead of seeing a New Ager, we saw someone desperately seeking the Holy Spirit in the wrong places?
What if, instead of seeing someone who is mentally ill, we saw someone whose mind was fragmented from childhood abuse?
What if, instead of seeing a greedy CEO, we saw a child who was pushed to be perfect at all costs?
What if, when we saw someone—or even ourselves—stuck in the ugly pit of sin, we reacted with…
“Show me where the trauma point is, Jesus, and tell me how to help them heal.”
What if we saw through the eyes of Jesus?
What if, like Jesus, we were moved by compassion?
What if we stopped judging people’s pain?
What if?
(Credit: Karen Stanton; February 7, 2025)
Show Me and Help Me
The post triggered a similar response from several of my friends. Throughout the day, I noticed many re-posting it. The post reminded me of a commercial that airs occasionally about people judging others based on circumstances they see (or think they see) instead of facts. One of the illustrations involved a child misbehaving in a store. Onlookers were horrified and thought the lady with him was a bad Mother. The new foster parent had just picked the child up; his acting out displayed his uncertainty about how to cope with all that was going on in his life. It had nothing at all to do with the foster Mom’s parenting abilities. In this case, both the adult and the child were terribly misunderstood.
“Show me the trauma point and tell me how to help them heal.” What a beautiful call to action. There is no judgment here, just compassion and Christian love. When we ask God to help us see others through His eyes, the Holy Spirit tenderly nudges us to lay aside our notions about another’s situation. He inspires us to pick up the mantle of unconditional love and share that love with total abandon.
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:2
When we see as God sees, we are in a better position to love as He loves. Scripture is replete with examples of Jesus meeting people where and as they were. He looked beyond situations and focused on hearts.
Lord Jesus, help me see who you see as I share your love with others. Move me to love deeply and show me how to help those in situations I do not understand.
Charlene Miller
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#charlenemillerblogs