“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin

Sometimes I can be rather dense. You know, like a blockhead or a doorknob. I just don’t get things. One of the things I have always had trouble with is the commandment to see others as Jesus sees them. I’m like, “Huh? What in tarnation does that mean?

Did that mean having x-ray eyes like superman, or using a high powered scope to watch their every move? Did I have to have googly eyes that were constantly on the move to see everything a person did? 

Or did I have to lick a  poisonous toad to give me psychedelic visions that were either bizarre or terribly frightening. 

And then I read “The Shack” by Paul Young and for a while I had been listening to “Give me your eyes” by Brandon Heath, and suddenly I just got it. The like shined in the darkness of thick head of mine, and I got it. I understood, and with the understanding came both forgiveness and an overwhelming sense of love for all the hurting people of this world.

I finally understood that it meant to look past the surface appearance, to look deeper than the clothes, the makeup, the attitude, the dirt, the outside, and see inside the soul. That is what God sees. Jesus sees in the homeless vet a person shell-shocked, alone, frightened and in need of someone he can trust and love. Jesus sees in the shallow girl who wears a ton of makeup and always has the latest and most expensive clothes and who takes endless Instagram pictures of herself, a young woman who desperately wants to be loved for who she really is and is trying so hard to find that person. Jesus sees in the hardworking man who comes home too tired to play with his children, a father who wants to provide for  his children the best way he knows how, and doesn’t understand that his children need more than just a roof and three meals a day.

He sees in each and everyone of us the need to love and be loved. To be understood, accepted and forgiven for falling short in whatever areas we think we need to do more. His eyes see all of us as whole, worthy and acceptable. And to see with His eyes allows you to see others in the same way. When you see with His eyes you will accept people as the are, love them as they are, and forgive them for inadvertently hurting you.

It’s not always easy, but it brings  you a sense of peace because when you look at the real person you understand that whatever they are doing they are not doing it to hurt you. They are doing it only to relieve their own pain. There own sense of being unloved and/or unlovable. It also frees you to love others much more spontaneously and freely. Seeing others with His eyes sets you free from judging others, comparing yourself to others, and allows  you to accept yourself as you are because now you can also see yourself as He sees you. You are a child of God,  made  in His image and never let anyone tell you different.

“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. – Max Ehrmann