People and Perceptions and Gracious Providence (South Asia 5)

I've always been able to see the beauty in things. That's something I always try to do with my art. I love taking photographs of the unnoticed things; the small things, the people, moments, places, things that aren't often appreciated or considered “beautiful,” and make them beautiful.

I believe that though there is incredible brokenness and sadness, and yes, ugliness, in this world, because of Jesus and His love it is still a beautiful world. I think God has allowed me that perspective, just to always see beauty, and in South Asia I saw so much beauty.

Something I've been praying for awhile now is to see people the way God sees them. Some individuals are just difficult to love, they're annoying or gross or strange, they aren't easy to talk to or care for, and especially not easy to love. But everyone, everyone, is precious in God's sight, and I desire to be able to see them that way, to love people through Jesus when I am unable to on my own through my sinful, human nature.

I prayed that in South Asia too – to be able to see everyone as Jesus sees them, precious and beautiful and deeply loved.

It was so cool, because the minute I prayed that prayer, everything got a little brighter. The colors got more vibrant, each person's face became more beautiful. Not because anything had actually physically changed about them, but because my perception had changed. It was a pretty incredible moment, definitely straight from the Lord.

It's amazing to realize how much God loves us. I mean in South Asia there were so many people. Just everywhere, I don't think I've ever been around so many people all at once in my life. Maybe in New York City, that's about the only thing I could compare this city to. A very dirty, poor, even more packed with people, New York City.

So many people, and to realize, Jesus doesn't just “love everyone,” He loves everyone. Every single one of the billions of people in South Asia is loved intimately and personally by God. It's not just some blanket of love that generically covers the country. He cares so deeply for each individual. That's so much love!

Remembering that completely shifts how you see people. They're not just a person, they are so important, so special, so loved.

When you meet a stranger on the street, they don't have a lot of value to you in a relational sort of way. I mean, you know nothing about them, you can't place a value on the sort of person they are or the difference they make in people's lives. But when you meet your sister's boyfriend for the first time, though you don't know him, so he's a stranger, he has value because you know how important he is in your sister's life.

It should be the same way whenever we meet someone, we know how incredibly important they are to God, and thus they should have value to us. We're all “fearfully and wonderfully made.” We are all loved by Jesus, and we are all oh-so-precious in His sight.