Seeing through His eyes

I talked with a very sad lady the other day. Somewhere along our conversation she asked why she keeps doing the things she does. I told her, you need to believe that you are worth being loved. She is not currently at a place where she can believe that.

She also wondered why, if God has forgiven her, she cannot bring herself to forgive herself. I said that in my life, that is a matter of pride. She said that couldn’t be it, she had nothing she was proud of about herself. I explained that I meant a different kind of pride –that I focus on myself:  He may forgive all the sins of the world in one lump. But this particular one is impacting me, is significant to me, it at front-and-center in my life and bound up with my thoughts and emotions. It’s all about me…and my focus.

I told her that many, many times throughout each day, I have to stop and ask God to let me see things from His perspective. 

What I was talking about is not just the long-range view verses immediate-gratification view. I mean the others-centered perspective of Someone who loves well* and is outfitting His children to live in a totally different environment. He invites up to participate in that kingdom now, with different goals, different wants, different desires, a different mission.

I guess she figured that that sounded easier for me than it would be for her, because she said “but you’re so sweet.”  -Y’all, if I was looking at that from my own eyes, I would have wrecked the car!  But, not being focused on myself for the moment, I could just say “No, I’m not. I am self-centered and easily annoyed.” Another friend, who I’ve known a little longer said “Well, you sure don’t show it”.  {This was the only thing she said in that whole conversation, but THANK you! – this was my point: When I am asking Him to give me His eyes, I’m not. From my heart I trust Him and I can believe that what He says is true.}

I believe my new friend had enough to process by then, because she said with a smile, “Well, I’m never going to mess with you, then” and sat back and looked out the window.

Lord, let me decrease so that they can see You magnified! 

*I’m not sure if you're supposed to put an asterisk in a blog post, but what I have to say about what we’re learning in Philippians about this could end up being a whole other post itself and I didn’t want to post a different post in the middle of the other post, so I thought I’d better put it down here:

Philippians chapter 2, verses 3-8:Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death -even death on a cross!

You know what, never mind. I think these words speak for themselves.