Day 16 – New Vision

“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

We are all vision-impaired.

We walk through life making snap judgments—based on appearance, performance, charisma, or social standing. We size people up in seconds and tuck them into categories we never say out loud but silently live by.

They’re too broken.

They’re too much.

They’re not worth my time.

But God doesn’t see like we do.

When Samuel stood before Jesse’s sons, looking to anoint Israel’s next king, he saw tall, strong, kingly men—and assumed one of them had to be the one. But God whispered something that changed the lens forever:

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

And there, still-smelling-like-sheep David—overlooked by his own father—was the one God had chosen.

God sees the treasure beneath the tarnish.

He sees the image behind the imperfection.

He sees sons and daughters where we only see strangers.

And if we belong to Him, we are called to see like He sees.

The Gospel Lens

Jesus didn’t avoid the leper. He touched him.

He didn’t shame the Samaritan woman. He spoke life to her.

He didn’t flinch when the sinful woman wept at His feet. He honored her faith.

Every person Jesus encountered, He saw fully—and loved deeply.

Not because they were easy to love. But because He wasn’t looking for performance—He was looking at the heart.

This is what grace does. It gives us new eyes.

Eyes to see through the anger and find the ache.

Eyes to see through the failure and find the fight to start again.

Eyes to see not what people are—but who they could be in Christ.

The Children No One Saw

In 1901, Amy Carmichael was in India when she discovered a reality many refused to face: young girls were being sold into temple prostitution under the guise of religious duty.

The world looked away.

Culture justified it.

Even some in the Church stayed silent.

But Amy couldn’t.

Where others saw “unclean” or “untouchable,” she saw daughters of God, image-bearers cloaked in trauma, waiting to be rescued.

She began taking them in. One girl, then another. She gave them shelter, food, love, and dignity.

The rescued children called her “Amma,” the Tamil word for mother.

She became family to the forgotten.

Amy once said, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”

That’s what it means to see like Jesus.

To love in ways the world can’t explain.

To stare into a life the world calls worthless and whisper, “Beloved.”

What Now?

Let’s be honest: it’s easier to judge than to love.

Easier to label than to listen.

Easier to protect ourselves than to pursue others with compassion.

But that’s not how we were loved.

Jesus sees us in our worst and called us by our true name—beloved.

So take the risk today.

See the person in front of you as someone Jesus died to redeem.

Let grace interrupt your assumptions.

Let love slow your judgment.

And ask Him, “Lord, give me eyes to see like You.”

The world doesn’t need more critics. It needs more people who see with gospel vision.

Who look beyond the surface.

And love from the heart.