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Seeing With God's Eyes - Tuesday, 11/18/2025

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table."

This is one of the most uncomfortable stories Jesus ever told. A wealthy man lives in luxury while a beggar suffers at his gate. The rich man isn't portrayed as cruel or evil — just blind. He walked past Lazarus every single day and never really saw him. He saw an obstacle, a problem, maybe even a guilt-producing inconvenience. But he didn't see a person bearing God's image.

When we bear God's image authentically, we begin to see God's image in others — especially those our culture trains us to overlook. The homeless veteran. The exhausted single parent. The lonely senior. The struggling teen. Every person carries the inscription: "Made by God. Belongs to God. Beloved."

The tragedy of this story isn't just that the rich man was comfortable while Lazarus suffered. It's that he had the resources, the proximity, and the opportunity to love his neighbor — and he chose not to see. Authentic loving requires authentic seeing. When we truly see others as image-bearers, our giving becomes natural, necessary, and joy-filled.

Reflection Question: Who is the "Lazarus at your gate" — the person you walk past regularly without truly seeing? What would change if you saw God's image in them?

Action Step: Today, intentionally make eye contact with someone typically overlooked — a cashier, a custodian, someone experiencing homelessness. Speak to them by name if possible. Practice seeing.

Prayer: Open my eyes, Lord. Help me see every person as You see them — beloved, sacred, bearing Your image. Give me courage to love the neighbors I've been trained to overlook. Amen.