It is interesting for us as Christians to notice, that on various occasions recorded in the Old and New Testament, God saw some people, in a different way, than other people saw them.

In Luke 19:7-9, we can see a clear example of that. The opinion of many people then, about a tax collector Zacchaeus, was that he was a bad man, not worthy or God’s attention, because he was a cheater, and a robber according to some of them.

Zacchaeus, was a despised man, in his environment and community. That small, man, was being frowned upon, when others met him. He was probably already condemned to hell, by most of them. He was just a thousands of miles away, from God and from heaven, according to them. With one sentence, Zacchaeus was not worthy neither of God’s attention, neither of God’s love and mercy, because he was labeled as a bad man, by many people.

But, despite the fact that Zacchaeus was a small man, according to God, he had a big heart. People saw Zacchaeus as a sinner, but Jesus saw him as a saint, because he called him a son of Abraham.

I mean look at the repentance of Zacchaeus before Jesus. He was tearing out his heart in repentance, by promising a restitution, to all those he wronged, cheated and hurt, by being a tax collector. But Jesus did not look at what Zacchaeus has done. No, Jesus saw a potential in him, and Jesus saw his heart. And because Jesus saw a heart of saint in Zacchaeus, that is why he called him a son of Abraham.

We as Christians are also sons of Abraham by faith. People could not see the heart of Zacchaeus. They just saw what he has done, and who he was, a tax collector, a despised one. But God called him a ‘chosen’ one. Jesus chose him, and decided to even go to his house for a dinner.

You and me are not defined as Christians, by what others see or say, but by what God sees and says about us. Often people see only the outside, but they do not really see what God sees about us.

So, I would suggest to you, that if you are worried about, what other people have said or thought about you, which has hurt you, remember, that is not the end of the story. The beginning and the end of your story, is written by God himself, and not by people. God defines who you are, and not people. Your identity is in God not man.

Sometimes if other people say negative things about you, bear in mind, that on occasions, what they say is much more to do with themselves and their own problems, than is to do with you. But that is not how God sees you or thinks of you.

No matter what you have done, and no matter what others think of you, remember, that as the Bible says, even while we were sinners, Jesus Christ died for our sins. You see that? Jesus died for us, independent of what we have done, all the wrong things we have done. And yet, he died for us, because he sees us differently, than the way other people see us.