I began to notice the people that were passing by. Some of them were people that I'm acquainted with, others were familiar faces, and some I had never seen before. I'm not sure how long I was "people watching," but before I knew it, I noticed that my eyes had filled with tears and I had no idea why.
I guess it just hit me that God allows me to cross paths with so many people every day and I usually don't even take the time to look at them. In The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne talks about how we tend to look at people, while Jesus looks into people. Many times when I look at people, I merely see their outward appearance. I judge them and compare myself to them. But as I was sitting there that day, I attempted to look into the people around me. I wondered what their stories are. Are they happy? Are they hurting? Do they know Jesus? My heart soon became heavily burdened for the strangers in the room with me.
Even though I didn't know them, I began to pray for them. For the guy ordering his wrap and for the girl next to me who was texting. I may never know them, but I prayed that I would care about them the way that Jesus does.
In scripture, Jesus always notices the people that everyone else overlooks. He sees Zacchaeus in the tree and asks to eat dinner with him. He sees the little boy with five loaves and two fish and takes an interest in him when everyone else thought the idea was ridiculous. He has compassion for the woman who was caught in adultery and defends her. He touches the lepers and sits at the table with the "sinners." Oh, if only I could see people the way that Jesus sees them!
Often times if I'm struggling with seeing a person or a situation with the right perspective, I'll utter the prayer, "Give me your eyes, Jesus. I want to see the world the way that you do."
Brandon Heath's song "Give Me Your Eyes" sums it up pretty well, so I'll close with this video from him:
http://vimeo.com/1710532Meredith
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