God Goggles

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now.

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NLT)

Have you ever assumed something about someone and it turned out to be false? If you just answered no, you’re either dead or lying. (And, if you’re dead, I’m not sure how you answered…) We may think we have the ability to “read people,” but, in reality, we aren’t really that good at it.

There was an older couple who began visiting a church quite some time ago. He was dressed in a three-piece suit, and she was dressed in a very nice pant-suit with a broach on her lapel. Yet, here they were, in the midst of a church where dress was mostly casual, with contemporary praise music, and a preacher who didn’t preach your typical three-point sermon. I, for sure, thought they would run from the building screaming that we were all heretics. I was wrong. Not only did this couple stay for the entire church service, they kept coming back! After a few months, they decided to become members of that particular church. I had judged them by their age and appearance, and I was flat out wrong.

This is why the Apostle Paul tells us to stop making judgments of others based on our own understanding. Instead, he writes, “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.” In other words, we humans can only read people from a human point of view – we observe behavior, listen to words, etc.

However, we need to see people from God’s point of view. We need to put on some God goggles. When we do, we see that person who is acting out not as a jerk, but as someone who is deeply hurting inside and needs someone to care. We don’t see a drug addict, we see someone who has a lot of past regrets who needs quality friends in their life. We don’t see someone who jumps from one relationship to another, we see someone who is desperately seeking love. In short, when we see them from God’s point of view, things are different.

So, today, and every day, pray that God will allow you to see people the way He sees them. Pray that He will give you His God goggles. You will never see things the same again.