I must confess, what I am about to say I find it difficult to practice. You see, I am a child of God. That means I am in Christ and Christ is in me. In Christ, I am a new creature. This means I can no longer see the world through the filter of the culture I was raised in. The love of Christ compels me to see people with the eyes of Jesus.
Consider the tenderness you always have for a small child. Most of us will always treat children with kindness. We know that their view of the world is simpler than ours. Because of their innocence, they do not have a complete understanding of their surroundings. For this reason, we will stoop to their level and speak to them with words they understand. We don't expect them to act like grownups
The tenderness you have for a child, our Savior has for all people. When the Pharisees falsely arrested and condemned Him to death, Jesus still loved them. When Pilate tried to wash the guilt from his hands, Jesus would gladly have taken him by the hand and led him into righteousness. And when the soldiers beat Him and nailed Him to the cross Jesus prayed, "Father forgive them because they don't understand." Jesus did not come into this world to condemn anyone. He came to bring salvation to all people. Because He sees everyone through eyes of Compassion, it breaks His heart when people reject His love
We often look down on people who have made bad decisions. Emotions, personal situations, and cultural peer pressure often lead people to make poor life choices. We tend to see these people as people to avoid. But the people we try to avoid, Jesus sees as precious souls. If indeed we are in Christ and Christ is in us, then we will love as He loves and learn to see everyone through His eyes of Compassion.
Douglas & Deborah Huff
From Down Where The Pavement Ends
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