Yesterday, I arrived in Boston. I’m here for a conference, and today I deliver a keynote, but I cannot stop thinking about my time walking through the city. Sunday in Back Bay was exceptional on many levels, but these photographs capture the essence of what I woke up thinking about today.
The stained glass was above the doors of Old South Church, a beautiful United Church of Christ congregation founded in 1669. The current building dates to 1875, but the church’s history stretches back more than 350 years.
The window depicts the four living creatures described in Revelation 4:8:
“Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
Earlier, as I walked along the city block leading to this church, two things caught my attention. First, a person resting beneath a plaid comforter on a bed of cardboard. Beside him were a Bible, a cross, and the handwritten words, “In God We Trust. Happy Sunday. Foundation of God.” There was no basket to collect money. No sign explaining his circumstances or asking for help. He was simply there.
I paused long enough to see the blanket move, wanting to be sure the person beneath it was safe. I would meet him later. When I asked his name as I handed him a dollar, he answered, “It doesn’t matter.” It did to me, but God knows who he is. My prayer is that the words “In God We Trust” on that dollar bill reinforced his strength as the night grew cold.
A few steps farther, a row of more than a dozen luxury cars lined the valet area. Porsches, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and other uncommon vehicles. People gathered to photograph them, admiring the details and taking time to examine these unmistakable displays of wealth. The contrast was impossible to miss.
At first, the imbalance of it all hurt my heart. But as I continued walking and praying, I realized something.
Spiritual poverty is not as easily perceived.
The person resting on cardboard may possess a richness of faith that someone driving a car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has never experienced. Or perhaps the owner of one of those cars is extraordinarily generous, deeply faithful, humble of heart, and quietly serving others.
I don’t know. And that is precisely the point.
We see circumstances but God sees hearts.
In Revelation 3:17, Jesus speaks to a church convinced of its own prosperity:
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
How easily we confuse what someone possesses with what someone lacks. And how often do we give our attention to what is impressive while overlooking what is important? I keep thinking about that stained-glass window, filled with eyes. About a man whose face I couldn’t see at first. About the people gathered around the cars. And about my own assumptions as I walked past both.
I’m realizing as I write this, the question isn’t who has more or who has less. It starts with whether we recognize our own need for God, regardless of what we possess. The takeaway for me is that I need to ask Him to help me see beyond what is immediately visible. To notice the people we might otherwise overlook. To question the assumptions we make about others. To recognize that everyone we encounter has a story we may never fully understand.
And when we see a need, to respond with compassion rather than simply moving on. As believers, have we become overly comfortable ministering to those in financial distress than those who are living in material abundance?
Because there is a difference between looking at someone and truly seeing them. This morning, I doubled up on my devotional reading. Tomorrow is a much earlier start, and today I need the extra time with God to prepare to give my speech. In Mark 8:17–18, the connection between my experience yesterday and God’s Word is unmistakable. Jesus asks His disciples, “Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear? And do you not remember?” The disciples failed to trust God’s abundant provision where scarcity seemed to prevail.
“Behold, I have set before thee an open door,”from Revelation 3:8 was carved into the side of the church building. God has made salvation open to all, just as we are all made in His image. He loves us so much that God the Creator sent Jesus as Redeemer to us, so that God as Sanctifier could dwell within us. Through this power, today ask God to open your eyes. Then be willing to act on what He shows you.
