I’ve been reflecting these last few days on the human heart and mind. Before I knew the Lord—before I truly surrendered my life to Him—I only saw the world one way. I could only see through my humanness, through my own limited perspective.

For example, when my son’s bike was stolen, the old me would have looked at the man who took it and thought: criminal, low life, worthless. But now, with the Lord’s perspective, I see something entirely different. I see a man who is broken, just like I am—someone in desperate need of Jesus, someone who is still precious in God’s sight.

Now, when I see someone caught in destructive choices, I don’t just see a “criminal.” I see a person created in the image of God, deeply loved by Him, and desperately in need of the hope only Christ can give.

I don’t have to share the same struggles to understand. Maybe I’ve never battled addiction like the man who stole my son’s bike, but I’ve had my own demons. I’ve carried my own chains of anger, pride, insecurity, and bitterness. Just because someone’s brokenness looks different than mine doesn’t mean it’s any less real. We all need the same Savior.

And here’s the beauty of that Savior: He produces in us what we could never manufacture on our own—compassion, kindness, patience, gentleness, humility. He opens our eyes to see people through a different lens, through God’s lens. And in that new perspective, there is freedom. There is peace.

The truth is, I could never change my own perspective, no matter how hard I tried. I could not rid myself of bitterness, jealousy, or envy. For others it may be hatred, pride, or greed. But all sins of the heart do the same thing: they bring darkness. They distort how we see the world.

Back then, I didn’t even realize my perspective was tainted. I couldn’t see that the darkness in my heart was shaping the way I viewed people, circumstances, and even myself. And honestly—no one could have convinced me otherwise. It was only the Lord who humbled me, who gently peeled back the layers, and revealed how my sin was blinding me and keeping me captive to the darkness.

But that’s not where He left me. He wanted to free me—free me so I could love better, show compassion, listen more deeply, extend grace, and forgive more easily. He did what I could never do on my own: He transformed my heart and, with it, my entire perspective.

The transformation has been so powerful in my life that I even wrote a book about it. Because here’s the reality: I didn’t see my own sin. I didn’t see the darkness I was living in. I didn’t know I was a captive. What my soul truly needed was freedom—and I couldn’t see that until God revealed it to me.

So now, I pray for those who are still in darkness—for the ones filled with bitterness but blind to it, for the ones consumed by hate and can’t see it, for the ones ruled by jealousy and don’t even realize it. I’m deeply grateful for the people who prayed for me when I didn’t know I needed prayers—before I knew I needed help, needed saving, needed Jesus.

John 9:25 – “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”