I read your post about seeing others through God’s eyes. My question is “how?” How do you see others through God’s eyes?
Margee
Dear Margee,
There are several steps to seeing others–especially people who are challenging to you– through God’s eyes.
First, you need to ask God to help you. This is not something that comes to us naturally. We need God’s perspective and it starts by asking Him to help us.
Second, remember that the other person is “in process.” He or she is broken, hurting in some way, and in the process of “being perfected” by God. You may not see evidence of that, but it is truth based upon God’s word.
Third, learn what God says about those He has created and loves. Several years ago I shared a post about what God says about you. This list also could be titled “What God Says About the Difficult People In Your Life.” I used this same list to pray for my husband during the three months that he chose to separate. This kept truth at the forefront of my mind, especially when I naturally “wanted” to feed my anger. By keeping truth in front of me, it helped me to resist the urge to be controlled by my anger.
Fourth, remember that God looks at us and doesn’t see our liabilities. Instead, He sees our possibilities. When you look at the “difficult person” in your life, see the possibilities in them instead of the liabilities.
I hope those steps are helpful to you. It’s not easy to see difficult people or difficult situations through God’s eyes, but doing so helps keep your heart from growing bitter in the midst of hard stuff.
Jill
What about you? Have you been able to see a difficult person in your life through God’s eyes? Would you offer any additional encouragement to Margee?
I always try to figure out what God is trying to teach me in difficult situations or when others are being hurtful or difficult. It could be that I contributed to this situation, and I have to be honest with myself about it. It could be that I need to learn how to let their criticism roll off my back and trust that God is telling me He loves me and I’ll be ok. One thing a friend told me that’s always stuck is, “it always turns out for the best, in the end.” God can make great things happen from the rubble of our lives; I trust Him to lead me towards that end.
Becky, that’s a great suggestion to ask yourself, “God, what do you want me to learn here?”