Perception: Look Past the Cobwebs to the Renovation

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away: behold, the new has come." ~2 Corinthians 5:16-17

 I know that Christmas has passed, but I'm sure many of you watched the classic, It's a Wonderful Life. What springs to mind is when George and Mary go to throw rocks at the windows in the house on Sycamore Street. George views it as a worthless shell of a building, but Mary dreams of making it her home one day. Even once George and Mary are married and living at 320 Sycamore, George is frustrated by all of the issues within the house. It isn't until after his visit from Clarence that he comes home thrilled that the top of the staircase post comes off in his hand. It took a new perspective, but George finally saw past the old cobwebs to the value in what the structure at 320 Sycamore had become; a place to call home with his family.

In the same way, we must change our perspective of how we see others. Too often we become focused on the flaws within others and refuse to see the good that they do. If we're wronged in some fashion, our mind deceives us into assuming everything about said person is negative. But if the person who wronged us is a Christian, we must see them as Christ sees them; as a new creation. As Christians, we are forever in this process known as sanctification. God is trying to make us more like Jesus, but we are stilled flawed human beings and stumble along the way. Much like the renovations and construction at JFK Airport, it's an ongoing, lifetime process. Nobody is perfect and we're bound to hurt others along the way unintentionally, so why make matters worse by focusing on the hurt? It'd be like tearing a musician apart for missing one note in an hour long concert. Where is the benefit in that? Is it really worth your energy to dismiss all that went well? Certainly not.  

As Ian Percy said, "We judge others by our behavior. We judge ourselves by our intentions." Instead of holding others to impossible standards, remember that they are being renewed in Christ daily and struggle against the desires of their flesh. Since each person who believes in Jesus is now a new creation, it is better to look past the flaws and remember that we're all in this together. We're supposed to be a spiritual family and not at war with one another. It takes time, but progress will be made and recognized. Just don't forget the important positive contributions certain people have made in your life, despite their flawed nature. Remember their heart for the homeless, their love of volunteer work, or their desire to love stray animals. Take to heart the uplifting words others have spoken into your life, rather than zeroing in on negative statements made under stressful circumstances that might have come across wrong because they were emotionally charged.

It's easy to find the negatives in someone's life. That's how the media thrive. Our jobs as Christians, though, is to see the benefit of everybody, despite their past and despite how they might have treated us. We're all part of one body. Each one of us is just trying to dust off the cobwebs in order to allow our hearts to be renovated. So rather that viewing someone with a skewed perception, search to find that radiant light that shines out from the heart of your brothers and sisters in Christ.