Casandra Martin

I wish I was an inventor. Inventors get to look into the future and dream. They think outside of the box, imagining a world that looks very different than the one in which they stand. Today, I don’t want to create new and improved things as much as reinvent my eyes. I wish I could develop potential goggles – glasses that would help me see people as they can be with God’s grace.

Right now, I only see externals and I miss so much. I want to see the homeless man on the corner with eyes of compassion and hope. I want to look at a shy teenager and watch the power of God’s love help her bloom. I want to see what the young adult in handcuffs would be like after experiencing the reality of grace. I long to see hospital rooms transformed, schools bright with possibilities, homes overflowing with joy, and workplaces infused with integrity. The potential is already there because God is there. I just need eyes to see it.

We live in a world in which the brokenness of sin is evident all around us. Sin’s shadow blocks us from seeing the potential in each person we meet. God, however, never fails to see the full potential in every soul. He knows what we can be when we stand in the full strength of His love and purpose. Jesus saw it in every sinner He forgave, every sick person He healed, and every hungry heart He taught. This is why He keeps whispering to His people, “Love them.” When we love, our eyes are transformed.

My Jesus Resolution today is to ask God for potential goggles. I want to see the people I meet today with His eyes. I don’t want to see them just for who they are, but who they can be in Him. I want to walk around with my eyes wide open, impressed with the power of mercy and singing the praises of the One who lives to make me better than I am today. Jesus came to heal the sick, mend the broken, and chase sin’s shadows away with His light. I want to see that world. I can, and I don’t even need to invent potential goggles. Jesus has already made it a reality.