Several years ago, I was appointed to a church whereupon the first year several members who had left for various reasons had returned. Some of those who had previously left the church had created quite a fuss prior to their departure. Those who remained with the church carried unfavorable memories of their counterparts, and in some cases, held grudges. I was seeking a way to help reconcile the differences between these two groups of people when a very wise woman shared with me an insight. Judy said:

                           David, too often we remember the people who come back into our lives as the same                                                        people who left us. What if, however, they aren’t the same people? What if God has
                           made of them a new creation?

Judy is correct. We too often keep a record of those who do wrong, which is antithetical to Paul’s characterization of love. We forget that God’s sanctifying grace seeks to not only purify our hearts but also the hearts of our Christian sisters and brothers.

     Love has better than 20-20 vision. Love sees people in the way God sees them. Whereas we tend to look at a person’s past, God looks at that person’s potential.

     So, if sometime this week you happen to cross paths with someone who may have crossed you at some point in time, you will have a choice. Which set of lenses will you choose? How will you look upon that individual? It may well be that the person who greets you isn’t the same person you used to know.

Prayer:
Lord God, help me see people as they are rather than the way I once knew them. Because of your grace, I am not the person I once was. Help me to believe that your Spirit is at work in the lives of others, as well. Allow me to see them the way you do—as unfinished works of art continuously being shaped into the image of their Maker. Through Christ I pray. Amen.