Over the past few months, God has been teaching me about having a heart for those who reject Him.

I find it interesting when I look inwardly at myself. I have so much grace for people who don’t agree with me, live different lifestyles, hold different political views, or simply have different tastes. I’m okay with agreeing to disagree. But when it comes to rejecting Jesus, while I always remain poised, my blood boils a bit. I almost step into this place of feeling the need to defend Him and the faith.

Let’s be clear: God doesn’t need me to defend Him. But sometimes, my love for Him hinders my grace for certain people. And that, in itself, is a problem. Especially because if I love Jesus, my grace for people should expand.

Jesus is the most true and real thing to me that exists. When someone denies Him, it’s like someone insisting that the sky is orange when I know, with everything in me, that it’s blue. It becomes silly to me, almost foolish.

The Bible tells us ‘every knee will bow and every tongue will confess’ (Philippians2:10).When I speak with people of different faiths, or people who don’t claim to have one, I often wonder why they feel they don’t need God and who, or what, they have put in His place.

The truth is, my greatest desire is to see everyone in eternity. My job as a disciple and believer is to represent Christ and share the Good News of the Gospel with whoever I encounter, in the hope that they will be brought to salvation. Even planting a seed is enough.

People are going to have different beliefs, but the goal isn’t to force my faith on them or manipulate them into converting. It’s to have the patience Jesus has, the same patience He had with me when I, too, put the world before Him.

Everyone starts unfaithful before they become faithful. Everyone starts with unbelief before they believe. And everyone walks in fear or skepticism before coming into truth and authority.

I’m beginning to see this in a different light.

I now look at people through the lens of God. I’m still growing, but I’m learning to understand the different stages of growth in others. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean everyone else is. We are all on different parts of the journey.

The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

(1 Samuel 16:7)

That Scripture is so encouraging to me, especially when I see people who have turned away from Jesus. Weren’t we all at one point? What if God had given up on us?

The Good News is that God continues to seek the lost. He never stops pursuing them.

And that gives me hope. Hope to begin looking at people not simply for who they are right now, but with the belief and expectation that God isn’t finished with them yet. Hope that, someday, they might find the Light.

God reminded me of who Paul was before he became Paul. He was Saul.

God kept him not because of who he was, but because of who he would become.

I don’t believe the Lord is passive toward the unbeliever. I believe He is patient. I believe the patience He extends is a reflection of His character.

And that is encouraging to me as a believer. It reminds me of God’s patience and mercy, not only toward others, but toward me.

Last night, while I was in the middle of studying, God whispered to me:

“I have grace and compassion for who they currently are because I know who they will become.”

And because of that, I’ll never be the same.