Seeing Beyond the Surface: What Are You Missing in Life?
Have you ever had the sneaky suspicion that you might be missing something? That there might be more to life than what you're currently experiencing? Life is like an onion—most people are satisfied with the paper, but you can peel back the layers and discover something sweeter if you dare to look deeper.
The World Through Jesus' Eyes
Following Jesus means making a decision to open your eyes and see the world around you as Christ envisions it. There's such beauty in truth, in reading Scripture and allowing it to illumine your mind.
In Luke 13, we encounter a powerful story that demonstrates how Jesus sees what others miss. "On a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all" (Luke 13:10-11).
This woman couldn't look up to see the world around her. She couldn't see the people she loved. Her life was crushed by the burden of the disease she bore. Ever felt that way? Ever felt like the world was coming down on you in such a way that you couldn't bear the weight?
What I love about this text is that Jesus sees what other people miss. He sees us when we're broken. And when we're not broken, he sees us as instruments in his hands to reach out and touch, recognize, and see those who are.
The Inevitable Opposition to Compassion
When Jesus healed this woman, the religious leaders were indignant. "There are six days for work, so come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath" (Luke 13:14). They were so focused on rules that they lost complete sight of relationships with God and with one another.
This is the second truth we must understand: conflict is inevitable with service. Anytime you have an impulse to do what is good and true and right and just, there is another impulse within us that will help us rationalize a response to excuse us from doing anything uncomfortable or costly.
When you're driving and see someone broken down on the side of the road, do you ever have the impulse to stop and offer help? Do you do anything about that impulse? I typically don't, and I'm a little ashamed about that. In that moment, I come up with every reason why I shouldn't: "Jim, you're not mechanically inclined. You're an idiot about that. Let someone else stop who can help them."
Lifted Up to Serve Others
The woman who was bent over was lifted up. Why? As Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, we are blessed in order to be a blessing. God pours love into us so we can be loving. God gives us grace so we can be gracious.
Here's what I want you to understand: We are not just saved FROM something, we are saved FOR something. We are saved to make a difference in a world of hurt where people are bent and broken.
I had a friend who was an addict most of his young adult life, then met God at an AA meeting and later discovered Jesus at our church. It changed everything. He was freed from addiction but still went to meetings regularly because he wanted to be a mentor to others struggling with the same burdens. His broken life led to the healing of others' lives.
Putting It Into Practice
Recently, a friend asked about my mission in retirement. I answered without hesitation: "My mission is first and foremost to follow Jesus and honor God. Secondly, to love my wife lavishly, to love my children and grandchildren. And every day, I find a way to do something to bless someone."
What's your mission? Let me ask you some hard questions:
What's bent or broken in your life that Christ needs to straighten and heal?
Who around you are you missing—people who seem invisible but are longing for someone to see them?
What religious routines have become excuses preventing you from doing what God really wants?
How is your healing being shared in a way that blesses someone else?
Remember, the ripple effect of Jesus' love changing the world through people like you is miraculous because it compounds. You were not just saved from something; you were saved for something.
