Seeing People As God Sees Them

A few months back I was headed home and got a text from my wife, Jane, to stop and pick up some milk.  A convenience store was close by, so I pulled in.  To be honest, I don’t know if I would have noticed the guy behind the counter, but the Christian university where I serve as chaplain had recently done a service on the theme of “Seeing People as Jesus Sees Them.”  My first thought was to feel bad for anyone who had to work the night shift in a convenience store, stuck behind a counter by yourself all night with nothing to look at but lottery tickets, chewing tobacco, and beef jerky.  

He looked to be in his thirties, and that those years had been a little rough on him.  For some reason, his scanner wasn’t reading the barcode of the milk, and he was having a hard time ringing up the sale.  I asked if he wanted me to get another, but he rather harshly said “No!” even though he was getting more and more frustrated.  I tried to engage him in a bit of conversation just to “lighten” the mood, but he was not responding.  When the sale finally went through, I smiled and said, “Thanks!” but he never even looked at me.

As I drove home in the dark, I couldn’t get him out of my mind.  I know that man is loved and valued by God, but does he know that?  I know there’s a community of believers right down the street at 2800 North Orange Avenue that would warmly welcome and love him, but does he know that?  I know that God has important work for him to do, that he was put on this earth for a reason, that he could glorify God in a way no other human being can, but does he know that?  I don’t think so.

But what am I supposed to do? Reach over the counter, grab him by the collar, make him look me in the eye, and tell him that God loves him and has a wonderful plan for his life?  Would he hear me?  Would he believe me?  Personally, I think doing something like that would be as scary for him as it would be for me!

So what do I do?  How do I love?  I’m discovering that “seeing” what Jesus sees and “feeling” what Jesus feels can really mess up your drive home at night! And that was just one person.  What about the sarcastic co-worker?  The rebellious teenager?  The elderly neighbor?  The millions who go to bed hungry every night?  What about the orphans and widows, and sick, and in prison?  What can one person do?  What can one community do?  It’s easy to get a little overwhelmed by people’s needs—to be paralyzed by the magnitude of the world’s problems, right?  Ever felt like that before?  Seems to happen to me more and more.

Bill Crofton