When I was a kid, I remember being horrified to hear that God sees me all the time. Every thought. Every word. He knows it all. I couldn’t get away with anything!
How do you see yourself? Through your eyes? Or through God’s eyes?
A father and daughter were collecting shells on the beach. He was looking for nice seashells in good condition. His little girl wasn’t so fussy; she was picking up all the broken ones. When her tiny hands couldn’t hold any more shells, she turned to her father and said, “Look Daddy, the broken ones are beautiful too.”
I think God sees things that way, don’t you?
I’m so encouraged to read the Bible and see how many of our heroes were all too human—broken—you might say. Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, lied about his wife. Twice. His son Isaac did the same thing. And, surprise, surprise: Isaac’s son Jacob was a liar and schemer. Noah got drunk. Jonah ran from God. Moses saw himself as a stammering shepherd destined to lead sheep around the wilderness. God saw him as a teachable trailblazer born to lead His people from slavery.
Remember Hannah? She saw herself as a second-class bride with a barren womb and an aching heart. God saw her holding a tiny baby, Samuel, who was destined to become a priest, the first prophet and the last judge in Israel.
David saw himself on the run, a fugitive from Saul, destined to die in a cave. God saw him seated on a throne, ruler of a kingdom that would never end.
A newlywed couple from Cana of Galilee saw the drinks run dry at their wedding feast. God saw six stone jars nearby—and some well water that people would never stop talking about.
Peter saw himself as a crumbling failure, a denier of his Saviour. God saw him as a rock on which He would build His church.
Mary Magdalene saw her Lord on a cross, the death of her dream, and a plundered tomb. God saw a Sunday morning surprise waiting, one that would shake the world for good.
I’d love to have God’s perspective. He sees me through the eyes of Jesus, and through the lens of who we will become one day, by His grace and in His strength. In Ephesians 1, he calls us Chosen and Adopted. In Romans 5, we are His Beloved, Justified, Reconciled, Holy, Righteous, and Redeemed, Faithful and Forgiven. Isaiah says that our name is even written on the palm of God’s hand. Never forget how God sees you.
Maybe you’ve said, “After all I’ve done, God could never use me.” Don’t listen to that voice. It lies. Listen to the Romans 8:33-35 (NLT) “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?” You name it. The answer is no.
Are you a little like one of those broken seashells? I am. God sees our scars. And you know something? When we get to Heaven, the only scars there won’t belong to you and me.
