Eyes of Potential

In Mark 2:14, “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.”

Perhaps, you have heard of the famous race horse named Seabiscuit. He was a highly successful race horse in the late 1930s. He won more money than any other horse up to the 1940s. However, Seabiscuit did not look the part. His grandpa was a race horse by the name of Man O’ War. A horse built to perfection. But, Seabiscuit did not have very good make up. Despite his pedigree he went unclaimed in three claim races as a young horse. No one wanted the horse. His legs were not quite right and he ran with an awkward gate. To make matters worse, he was a bit lazy. However, a trainer by the name of Tom Smith convinced Charles Howard to spend $8,000 on the horse so he could train him. The rest is history. Tom was able to look at the horse and see what the horse could become. I believe this is the way Jesus looks at us. I believe He sees us through eyes of transformation considering what we can become through His work in our lives. You may feel pretty undesirable to others or even yourself, yet Christ looks at you for your potential not your present condition. In Mark 2:14 Jesus was passing by and saw a man named Levi. The passage says, “ And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.” Tax collectors in Jesus’ day were not looked up very favorably. They were known for fraud and dishonesty. We don’t know if Levi was dishonest. We do know that he would have been working for the Roman government and that alone would have been looked down upon by other Jews. Yet, Jesus looked upon Levi and saw in him the potential of what he could become. So many times we look at a person and make a decision about the individual based on his/her present condition. We have a hard time seeing a person for what they can become through Jesus’ transforming work. Sometimes, we even make this same mistake with ourselves. We know of our personal failures and we wonder if there is any hope for us. I want to encourage you that Jesus looks at you through eyes of grace and transformation. He sees the potential you have through His transforming work in your life. The best response is to yield your life to Him. God Bless!