It’s the middle of January, and many parts of our country have already experienced a blanket of snow. Most Americans get ecstatic with the first snowfall of the year. We ooh and aah over the beauty of the snow. While I’m originally from the gulf coast of Texas and consider 70-degree weather to be a tad chilly, I’ll grant the snow looks nice (from inside my heated house). What is even more beautiful that the snow is the individual snowflake. We stand so far back that we don’t even see snowflakes (plural); we just see a mass of snow. But get close enough and the individual snowflake stands out—and it is incredible.
Photos by Alexey Kljatov on Flickr
We often view the people around us like the snow. We see the mass of humanity but take little notice of the individual.
  • We fuss about all the people in all the cars slowing down our commute, not aware that the individual in front of us is headed to a difficult job—and does so to be able to feed the kids he loves deeply.
  • We fuss about the wait in the ER, oblivious to the individual ahead of us who is suffering far worse than we are.
  • We get on our soapbox about the homeless guy on the street corner without ever considering the challenges he’s faced in just getting this far in life.
The truth is, we don’t know what the other person is facing. We just see a human in our way. As Christians, we lift up the sanctity of human life, but in reality, we often treat others as a part of that nameless humanity that waits in a traffic lane or checkout queue in front of us. God doesn’t. He never loses sight of the uniqueness—the beauty—of that one person we often slight or overlook. Maybe it’s time we leaned in closely, just like with a snowflake, to see the beauty, wonder, and uniqueness of that individual. And that applies to you too. You are a wonder. A beauty. The only person God created with your giftedness, personality, and uniqueness. As the psalmist David wrote, you have been crowned “with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5). Relish the creation God has made of you. Thank Him for reaching out to redeem you in your fallenness and sin. While you’re at it, see the beauty and wonder of those around you—and love them as He has loved you. Jesus, help me to see the person next to me with the same eyes of love and concern that you do. And may they see You in me.
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This post supports the study “Treasuring Who God Treasures” in Bible Studies for Life and YOU.

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