The Work of Getting Your Eyes on the Right Things

We recently had to buy a new-to-us car.

Long story short: Bambi’s long-lost cousin — the one Disney wouldn’t let near the family fortune — ran into our old car. And judging by the damage, he must’ve been the linebacker of the deer family, because he totaled it.

So we had to make a plan. And let’s be honest — some people love car shopping. I am not one of them. Looking is one thing; buying is another.

But something interesting happens when we start looking for something.

I sent my wife four or five different vehicles that I thought would be good fits for us. And then it started — I began seeing those exact models everywhere. Not just on lots or in ads, but on every road we drove. Once we actually bought one, I lost count of how many more I noticed on the drive home.

I’m sure there’s a psychological term for this phenomenon, but whatever it is, it’s real. When you start to search for something, it changes what you see. Your focus sharpens. You start spotting what was invisible before.

A similar thing happened this weekend.

I got to the church building around 6 a.m. and realized — I didn’t have my keys. Not ideal.

I drove back home, hoping they were in the drawer where they usually go. Nope. I looked under the mail and found other keys. I looked in the bedroom and found keys I haven’t used in five years. Found every key except the ones I needed.

Finally, after two minutes that felt like thirty, I spotted them on my home office desk. The only upside is that now I know where every other key in the house lives.

But that moment reminded me again: when you put your eyes on finding something, it changes what you see. Whether it’s a car, a set of keys, or something much deeper — our focus determines what comes into view.

The truth is this:

We often find what we’re looking for.

Have you ever noticed that? Once you decide something matters — you start to see it everywhere.

That’s exactly what’s happening in Luke 15.

The scene opens with two groups of people. Some are leaning in, desperate to hear what Jesus has to say. Others — the Pharisees and teachers of the law — stand at a distance, arms crossed, frustrated that He’d even give those people the time of day.

So Jesus tells a story.

A story about a shepherd who notices what’s missing — who leaves what’s safe to chase down what’s lost. It’s His way of showing us what the Father’s heart really looks like: a love that sees, seeks, and celebrates the one who’s wandered.

And the tension starts early in the chapter:

“But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” (v. 2)

The religious leaders saw people through labels and history. They judged before they even listened.
Jesus saw people as image-bearers — worth pursuing, worth finding, worth celebrating.

That’s the difference between seeing the 99 and seeking the One.
One vision keeps you comfortable.
The other moves you toward compassion.

The shepherd in this story made a conscious shift.
He decided what to look at.
He chose to leave the 99 and fix his eyes on what was missing.

It’s not passive. It’s intentional.

That same call sits in front of us today.

What are you looking at?

Are your eyes fixed on what’s safe and familiar?
Are you coasting through your days with no intention to notice?
Or are you beginning to ask God to help you see what He sees?

There’s another moment in Jesus’ life that echoes this — Matthew 9:36–38. Jesus looks out at a crowd, and instead of seeing numbers, He sees need. “They were harassed and helpless,” Matthew writes, “like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus didn’t just see differently — He was looking for something different.
That’s what focus does. It changes what you notice.

And it’s what Jesus is still doing for us.

He’s looking for you.
He’s pursuing you.
You’re not the only one He’s after, but you’re absolutely one He came for.

Paul put it this way:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!
(Philippians 2:5–8)

That’s the vision we’re invited into — to look for the things Jesus looks for, to see the way He sees.

You can’t see people through the eyes of Jesus while staring at the things that keep you comfortable.

Seeing differently is a decision.
It’s choosing to see people the way their Creator does — to give grace instead of judgment, hope instead of assumption.

And if that feels hard — remember this:
I’m so grateful Jesus sees me better than others sometimes do.
Even more, I’m grateful He sees me better than I see myself.

He saw me when I was lost.
He knew I could be found.
And He came for me.

So, who do you need to see differently today?
Who is your One?
Are you willing to look for them?

Because when you begin to truly look for them — you’ll find them.
You’ll see them the way Jesus does.

Happy Monday, friends.