‘The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.’
Proverbs 20:5 NIV
The people who knew Simon knew he was impulsive and tended to say the wrong things. But Jesus saw something else in him; that’s why He renamed him Peter – a name which implied that he was a stone suitable for a foundation. Jesus said, ‘You are Peter…upon this rock I will build my church, and…hell will not conquer it’ (Matthew 16:18 NLT). And Peter did become a respected leader and founder of the church. Jesus was able and willing to look beyond the surface and see what was on the inside. We’re all made in God’s likeness (take a look at Genesis 1:27). This means that we all have amazing potential, but sometimes it takes ‘one who has insight’ to see that potential and draw it out. Sometimes the way people act isn’t actually a true reflection of their character. But we can often end up judging and labelling people based on what we see, rather than using our insight to see the gold that lies deeper. We need to pray that we’d have spiritual insight so that we can see the hopes and fears behind the way people act. If we want to act like Jesus, then we need to be willing to see the potential in each person, even the people who really frustrate us. We don’t need to try to fix everyone and bring the gold out, God’s the One to do that. He refines each of us to remove the impurities and let the gold appear. Job said: ‘God knows the way that I take, and when he has tested me, I will come out like gold’ (Job 23:10 NCV). Let’s try to see people through Jesus’ eyes and recognise what His transforming power can do.
Next time someone annoys you, ask God to help you see the gold in them.