A New Way To See!

September 21, 2023

A New Way To See!

It’s hard to see past what is different! 

A few weeks ago, I watched a movie titled, “Can You See Us?”  The theme of the movie (released in 2022) is captured in a few short statements offered by a father to his young son.  The father says;

“They told you they could never understand you.

What they do not understand, they fear. 

What they fear, they seek to destroy.”

It’s hard to see past what is different!

The movie is about a black couple in Zambia whose first baby is born with no skin pigment; the little boy is albino.  The parents struggle, family members struggle, and the boy’s peers struggle. 

The boy is different than what people expect to see.  He is different than what people want to see.  He is different than what people need to see.

When the boy grows up, he becomes a famous singer.  Although so much seems so right and so good, there are still moments when he is reminded that there are times when all that people can see is what is different.

It is hard to see past what is different!

It is difficult to understand what is different! 

It is challenging to celebrate what is different!

The Lord God made each one of us unique and special and one-of-a-kind.  However, to see what is different in another person and then celebrate and cherish that person is not always easy.

The Apostle Paul addresses several struggles in the first century church located in the city of Corinth.  The root of the divisions and disagreements was how the believers in that place chose to see one another.

The differences were revealed in several different ways; theological and economic; social status and types of jobs; gender and age; personal preferences and self-centered agendas.  I am reminded of the few short statements in the movie.

“They told you they could never understand you.

What they do not understand, they fear. 

What they fear, they seek to destroy.”

When we are confronted with that which is different we seek to destroy or diminish or divide.  The church in Corinth was engaged in these attitudes and behaviors because they discovered the church was filled with all kinds of people; people who were different!

In II Corinthians 5:17-18 Paul writes; “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation:  everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…”

Every person who loves and trusts Jesus with all their heart, soul, and mind becomes a new creation.  Paul says “…see, everything has become new!”  When we look at a Christ-follower we will see something new and different.  We will see a changed heart, a transformed life, a new creation, a child of God.

The “something new” which the Holy Spirit works in us makes us different in ways that other people do not always understand.

When I was nearing the end of my bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Nebraska, I told my family that I felt called to be a preacher.  The silence at the supper table that evening was deafening.  With one simple statement, relationships with my family changed. 

For a long time, the people who loved me most did not understand me; I was different!  Although Jesus was making me new and was calling me to something new, the people around me could only see what was different in me.  They did not understand me so it was difficult for them to celebrate what Jesus was doing in me or support me in pursuing Jesus’ calling. 

Many lament the violence and intolerance and injustice in our country today.  Most of what is wrong is the way we choose to see one another; we see only what is different!  Remember the theme of the movie;

“What people do not understand, they fear and what they fear, they seek to destroy.”

I wonder what would happen if we chose to see each person as a precious child of God or as a new creation or as someone who is acknowledged and accepted.  Jesus gives us a new way to see people. 

When you sit with your friend or family member this week, you can help them believe they are loved and accepted just they way they are.  Remind them that although they are different, they are loved by the God who breathed life into them.  Remind them they have a place in the family of God (the church!).  Remind them that Jesus sees them as a new creation.

When your friend believes that the differences and experiences that have caused them pain are being overcome by the love and acceptance of Jesus, their heart will be filled with delight.  And, your heart will be filled with delight when you lead them closer to Jesus where they are assured they are loved just the way they are.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug