Seeing each other the way God sees us (8/3/04)

On one of my recent flights, I was seated next to a young woman with her 2 year old daughter on her lap. Being as I have a little guy at home who will soon be 2, it was easy to start up a conversation. It wasn't long before the young woman shared that she was entering her senior year of high school. She looked young to me but I was shocked to realize how young (I suppose I'm now officially old enough to not be able to tell how old young people are :). It quickly occurred to me that this girl became pregnant as a 9th grader. This particularly struck me because my oldest is entering 9th grade this year. At this point in a conversation, sometimes our non-verbal communication can say 100 times more than our words. A look of shock, a smile that fades, an appearance of discomfort, or even an obvious attempt to go on to some other topic. I don't think I did any of these but I very well may have. If I did, the girl did not let on that she noticed. We talked for quite some time (it's a long flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia). She talked freely about mistakes she had made in the past. She felt she was now on the right path with school and relationships. She had direction and purpose. She even proudly shared her report card with me and pointed out the bad times and turn-around that was recorded in her grade history. She pointed to some bad grades and said "I wasn't such a good kid back then".

I remember an old Bob Myers that might have immediately judged this girl upon finding out she was such a young mom. "Oh how awful that is…" "What a shame…" "You're one of those??...". In our smallness, we categorize, classify, and judge people to make it simple for ourselves (and perhaps to make ourselves feel bigger). The fact is, we are all so wonderfully complicated. The only one who really knows us through and through is Him. He knows me better than I know me. Yet He still loves me. He loves each of us so much that we can't even fathom His kind of love. He doesn't see us as the mistakes we've made - so why do we see each other that way. He sees us as the finished work that He is doing. We make mistakes and learn and grow in the process.

As we fast this Wednesday, let's pray that we try to look at each other the way God looks at each of us. As a wonderful work in progress.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob