them + Him

I am annoyed.

Let’s be transparent, shall we? Anyone who knows me can attest to this. I, while extremely chill and relaxed about 90% of the time, have SUCH a short fuse when it comes to people around me. The way people say things, how someone gets overly excited about things, when people freak out over what I view as no big deal, when people don’t understand me…the list goes on and on. Sometimes, I am really bad at listening, because I have difficulty tolerating people, and I shut down. I wish I could say “I can’t help it,” but I know full well that it is a terrible personality trait of mine that I want to change, and am working on changing.

[ So to all out there who have been on the receiving end of my sass or silence, I am so very sorry. The Lord is working in me. Please be patient with me. ]

One of the ways I try to diffuse some of my irritation is to talk to my best friend Rachel. I often find myself texting/calling her throughout the day when I am in situations when I start to feel annoyed. Just this past week, I texted Rachel one evening, complaining about how annoyed I was about a situation and wishing that I wasn’t so easily aggravated. And she didn’t reply in harmony with me. She didn’t say, “oh wow, I would be annoyed too.” She replied with my best advice I could ever receive. 

“Look at them like Christ does.”

Wow. Such a simple piece of advice. As Christians, this is a concept we know very well. You’ve probably heard it in church or in Bible study or read it in Jesus Calling. And it’s such a simple idea; but for many of us (at least for me) it can be very difficult to put into practice. Mostly because, simply put, we are not Christ. We are humans, full of sin and negativity, lacking in love and grace. We are all irritable sometimes. We all struggle to see the good in the others, the good in every day. We are imperfect.

But the goal isn’t to be perfect, or nicer, or better even. The goal is to see people.

[ See them like Him ]

This got me thinking. Seeing people like Christ does is a two-fold endeavor. First, we are called to look at other the way that Jesus does, as the Bible calls us to. It is important to see how Jesus treated others, so that we may learn to imitate it.

 [ Jesus was compassionate ]

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” –Mark 6:34

[ Jesus suffered for others ]

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ has suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”  -1 Peter 2:21-22

[ Jesus served others ]

“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. –John 13:13-15

Jesus loved peopled fiercely, despite their flawed and sinful nature. He loved Peter even though he knew he would betray him. Jesus died for people who may never come to know him. That is serious love. And he calls us to live in the same way. Throughout the Bible, we are called:

            [ beloved ] Ephesians 5:1

            [ beautiful ] Song of Solomon 1:15

            [ forgiven ] Psalm 32:1

            [ loved ] Song of Solomon 7:6

If this is the way that God sees you, isn’t this also how he sees every one of his children? A lot of the times when I read the Bible, I read the word “you” as if it is speaking directly to me. And rightfully so, because it is! But it is also speaking to every single human being on this earth. If you want to see how loved you are, replace “you” with your name. “McKenna is altogether beautiful, there is no flaw in her.” (Song of Solomon 4:7) If you really want to love how Jesus did, try replacing “you” with someone’s name. “Rachel is altogether beautiful, there is no flaw in her.” Or maybe especially for people around you who are hard to love. “My mean professor is altogether beautiful.”  Or “The talkative girl in my accounting lab is altogether beautiful.” You know what Jesus would even say? “The men that murdered me are altogether beautiful.” You see, Jesus’ love and grace is not limited to me, or the people of the church, or people I know, or Americans. There are no limits to his love. He doesn’t leave anyone out. And neither should we.

The second way to love them like Him is to see people how God the Father sees them: When God looks at us, he sees Jesus. How glorious and merciful and gracious is that???? Because of the salvation we receive through faith in Jesus, God no longer sees us as the dirty sinners we are, but rather as spotless, perfect, righteous children who reflect the light of Christ. You are glowing with Christ. So when we look at others, we must look at them like we would look at Jesus.

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it one of the least of these brothers and sisters you were dong it to me!’” –Matthew 25:40

When we are rude to others, we are being rude to Jesus too. When we fail to shower people with love, we fail to love Jesus. Doesn’t that put things into perspective? I can’t imagine how heartbroken I would be if Jesus was on the receiving end of some of the things I have said to people around me. Would I give Jesus a death glare? Would I ignore him? Would I say anything rude to him? Would I fail to be kind? Of course not, I love him! With this in mind, we have to treat people with love at all times. Not just when we feel like it or when it is easy. We have to do it when we are tired, when we are in a bad mood, when we don’t like them, when they have hurt us. Day in and day out, we are called to be His hands and feet. If we want to honor God, we must strive in every situation to choose to be more like Jesus. That is how we choose joy.

It's not going to be easy. The sanctification process (becoming more like Christ) is not easy. It's not our natural tendency to always be kind. But choosing to act as Jesus would is worth it. Choosing to love others, even when we don't want to, is good. It is pleasing to Him. It brings glory to His name. So see them like Him, today and every day, because He sees you.

Lord, thank you for seeing me. Thank you for loving me even though I am sinful and wrecked and broken. The goodness of your Son is what makes me realize the dirtiness of my own life, and for that I am thankful. Thank you for sending him to be my light. I pray that you continue to break down the pride and arrogance in me. Help me speak kindly to others and not get easily annoyed, because you never lose patience with me. Help me to be slow to speak and slow to anger. Remind me of your grace and teach me to pour it on others. Thank you, for pursuing me daily, regardless of whether or not I pursue you. Thank you for seeing me like you see Him.