March 11: See others as God sees them.

Ooh.  Ouch. No thank you. ;-)
But seriously. Ouch. I don't tend to do that most of the time.
​       (And how can I know how God sees?  How very anthropomorphic of me!)  ;-)
I just see folks as humans through human eyes, complete with problems and foibles and nice streaks and quirks. People are sometimes rude, sometimes kind; sometimes kinda jerky, sometimes very loving. We never know what motivates people, do we? And the mind is a weird and funny thing. Stuff that we experienced years ago...decades ago affect how we live and move and have our being today....oftentimes without our even realizing it.

But taking a few cosmic steps back, I wonder how God sees us.  Are we like God's kids?  I love my kids, but sometimes they make me mad. I laugh when they're silly and shake my head when they make bad decisions. I mop up after them if they just really can't, but I still love them, and I'm proud of the young adults they're becoming. Does God look at us like that?  Do we make God proud and angry and sad?  Does God laugh at/with us when we're silly, shake the divine head when we do stupid things and cry when we hurt others?

What about the lady with 25 items in the 12 item express lane? Or that guy going 80 up the 55 mph road, zipping in and out of traffic and really freaking people out, distracting us from what we're doing?  Those folks make me mad sometimes, but in my better moments, I wonder why they're in such a hurry. Is someone they love in the hospital or are they late for a drug deal (Have I mentioned that I tend to be rather cynical?)

How does God see that guy, either way? What about the lady who goes to the bar and takes her baby with her and leaves her in the car seat all night? She's got to have a monkey on her back. How did that happen? I'm sure God loves both that guy and that woman...and the baby . . . and me. 

I judge (ikr?) by human standards, and at face value most of the time.  Would we judge more kindly if we could see all the layers of their onions? Bless them for having to deal with such difficult difficult situations?  She didn't leave the baby home alone all night.  Is that a good thing? I'm much more reactive than that. After all, the baby's alone in a car all night. ​Does she know better?  Did she try to find someone to care for the baby?  Does it matter?  Are there other standards by which to judge a situation like that?  It's still judging, after all.  How does God see all that (the lady or the judging)?  ikr

And what about all of us who have so much and the folks who don't?  How does God see us? Especially when we're feeling sorry for ourselves for not having the newest model, the coolest version, the most tricked out thing? Bless our hearts.

So in the heavenly theater as God watches the human comedy/drama unfold, how does God see us? With loving eyes and heart brimming over with pride and sadness, laughing sometimes, at or with us?  Why are we violent?  Why do we hurt each other?  Why do we judge?  Because we're human. <sigh>

Going back to yesterday's theme - giving thanks in all things - can I give thanks for that guy, that lady, those people, as I attempt to see them through loving eyes?
Not as the Pharisees - thank God I'm not like that guy, that lady (who's praying that about ME?) - but...thank you, Lord, for the good things they contribute, for the ways they help the rest of us be better people, for fighting the good fight as best they can, dealing with what live's given them in the only way(s) they know how. They are human, after all...my brothers and sisters, creatures God has made, creatures God loves, same as me.
Help me stop judging, Lord.
Change my heart, O God. Help me to see others as the complex, layer-upon-layer creatures you see and made and love.  Give me your eyes, your heart.
​Change my heart, O God. May I be (more) like you.  Amen.