“How can you stand to be nice to him, Grams?” I asked. “Him” was the neighbor boy, a mischievous boy of twelve who loved nothing more than getting himself and everyone else into trouble. I could hardly stand the sight of him. He had just run into her yard, dumped over her garbage cans and ran off laughing. Grams, sitting on the porch, had sent him off with a wave.
Grams sensed my annoyance. She smiled at me. “Sometimes people do things that are heartless and mean, just to receive some attention. Ricky is harmless and just wants some love. If I can show him that love while he does these things, there may come a time when he will no longer feel the need to do them.”
“But Grams,” I protested, “he’s not worth it.”
Grams shook her head with a small smile in my direction. “People are always worth it, Joy. Whatever Ricky ever does to me, he is still a person, and deserves respect and love.”
“Respect? Love?” I echoed, unable to believe my ears. “How can you respect and love someone who doesn’t respect and love you?” In my mind, it went both ways. If the other person didn’t hold up his end of the deal, then I was set free from mine.
“Why, that’s easy,” Grams said with some surprise. “I look at them, not as who they are, but who they have the potential of becoming.” This was an unexpected answer, and Grams must have sensed my dubious opinion because she continued, “Sometimes you need to look at a sinner and forget the sin, so you can view him as a heart that needs the Lord.”
Slowly, Grams’ words were starting to hit home. “You mean, you can smile at Ricky even when he does something horrible, because you want to be a witness to him?”

Grams smiled. I settled deeper in my chair. I was only beginning to catch on.

Dear Joy,

I am reminded daily that I am not as young as I once was. Young Ricky just helped me carry in my groceries from the car. I was so grateful when he offered to help, since my time shopping had all but worn me out.
Ricky sure has turned out differently than many suspected he would. I see his handsome smiling face and feel a stirring of pride. He’s a good man.
Seeing him today made me think of how he had been as a child. How he aggravated you! You struggled to view him through God’s eyes, but I saw your effort and was proud of you.
Looking at people with an eternal perspective can be difficult, but it’s important. If we, as Christians, don’t have their souls in view, who will?
Bad things happen in this world, and those things are done by people. But we can’t look at those people with hatred and revulsion. God sees them as souls that are lost. What if I, in my ignorance, view them as horrible people, and forget to care for their souls? I may be placed in their path to share the truth of God’s grace, but if I allow myself to be blinded by their deeds (either to me personally or to humanity as a whole), I may forget that their soul is destined for hell. It’s a frightening thought, isn’t it? That some soul may burn because we get caught up in actions and forget to look beyond them to the soul behind the act?
I love what the apostle Paul says in Ephesians: “See then that ye walk circumspectly , not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. “ (Eph. 5:15-17) There is a lot of instruction in three such little verses! We’re to “redeem the time” - or use the time God’s given us to the best of our potential. What better way to do that than reach out to the lost with the truth of God’s grace? Verse 17 says we need to understand what the will of the Lord is. I think of a verse in II Peter where it says that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (3:9)
It is God’s will that every person would accept his grace and become a part of His Kingdom! It’s an exciting prospect, but a serious one as well. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.!” (Romans 10:14-15) There are a lot of souls that God wants to be saved, but how will they hear of the Good News if we do not tell them? Our hearts
need to learn to view people as God views them: needy and lost.
I can remember a summer day long ago when you started to learn the importance of having an eternal perspective. I pray you will keep it forever!

All my love,

Grams