Eyes to See
This week we’re returning to our Hands on Christianity series and will discuss barriers we can encounter when we begin to bear the burdens of others.
[transcript]
Welcome back to Stir. We are called to serve one another, but I find myself often stymied before I even get to service, because I have a hard time seeing the needs of others through the lens of love. Maybe you excel at this - but it’s a perpetual struggle for me, and I want to break down the three problems I think I have with my vision. Maybe your vision exam would reveal something different, but for me, the diagnosis is pretty clear - I’m not loving others properly.
God’s vision, not my own
Sometimes I struggle to see others for who and what they are. Spoiler alert: they are the children of God. What do I often see? Well, sometimes I see someone who made a series of really bad decisions. Sometimes I see someone who seems clueless. Sometimes I see someone trapped in generations of bad circumstances. But all of those things miss the real point. They. are. children. of. God. You want to know who God chooses to use again and again in human history? Deeply flawed humans. The bible is full of unexpected people being called to do unexpected things for God: Rahab, Joseph, Naaman, Nebuchadnezzar. All unexpectedly used by a God who is deeply gracious and merciful to His children. I had a friend share a really profound truth with me: God’s vision of me, God’s vision of you, is not limited to the past and the present. That’s all I can humanly see when I look at you. But God’s vision extends to the future - the child made perfect in His love. Redeemed, restored and re-created into who he or she was always meant to be. I can’t see that now. You probably can’t either. I am so grateful God sees the future me, so I need to work with all my heart to see the future in the people around me.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This second barrier stems from the first. The needs of the people around me are an extension of their uniqueness as a child of God. I’ve learned this raising my kids: every human strength comes with a weakness, and until we are changed that will always be the case. The burden someone is bearing often is part and parcel of their whole strength and weakness package. That’s what makes them a unique creation. If I only view their burdens as something wholly negative, I’m missing out on understanding who God created them to be. Here’s an example: I have a friend who really struggles with anxiety. It’s only when I see her wholistically that I realize her anxiety is the flipside of being sensitive, thoughtful and very empathetic. If I focus on how I have a hard time connecting to her struggle with anxiety I’m ignoring the larger, beautiful plan God has for her special perspective. I’m not saying I need to celebrate addictions or dysfunction, but viewing those things through the lens of who God made them to become stops me from getting all judgey-pants in their business.
Judgement vs Service
Finally, I can become distracted from my job in serving others when I substitute judgement for service. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another - Honor one another above yourselves.” If I can correct my vision to see others as God’s children who are being molded in His image, and if I can see their needs as part of that identity, whether I understand that fully or not - then I can release all the judgements and simply serve in love.
God wants us to see each other as He sees us. He created us in His image. His ability to love us anyway, to be committed to helping us through our human-ness, and His perfect view of us as His children are all things we can ask Him for so that we can bear each other’s burdens in love. (Gal 6:2) Over the next two weeks we’ll be hearing from Lindsey and diving into the application of this heart for others as we continue our hands on Christianity series.
