There was an elementary-aged boy in my class at church that was pushing every single one of my buttons. He was being extremely obnoxious, and I was having a difficult time getting his cooperation. When it was time for the Scripture lesson for the evening he continued with his antics and was being a major distraction as we read about Jesus healing a paralyzed man. When the story was over I asked the kids if they knew anybody that was similar to the paralyzed man in the story who might need our prayers. The hyperactive boy quieted down for a moment and raised his hand. I saw compassion in his eyes as he called out the name of two friends that he wanted us to pray for. All of my misgivings about the boy vanished in an instant. I hate to admit it, but up until that moment he had been an annoyance to me. But, then I saw the spirit of the boy… a caring, compassionate spirit. None of his negative attributes mattered to me anymore. After our prayer time, just a couple of minutes later, he was back to the rambunctious fellow that was pushing my buttons earlier… but he wasn’t pushing my buttons anymore, because I was seeing him differently now.
Isn’t that what we all need? A moment in time when we see people through different eyes… when we see the spirit within? Science says that human beings are nothing more than a very complex, highly evolved system of muscles, tissues, nerves, and chemicals. It’s easy to get irritated at a person when you see them as just a bundled system of nerve endings that are getting on “your last nerve.” But the Bible tells us in Job 32:8 “…there is a SPIRIT in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Yes, there is something more to a person than what we see with our eyes. When we can get past all of the externals and see the spirit on the inside, and see the tender interior that gets overshadowed by a rough or obnoxious exterior, that’s when we’re seeing people through different eyes… that’s when we’re seeing through the eyes of God. “Lord open our eyes to see others the way you see them. Amen.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (NAS)
“…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
