Psalm 109:4 “I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them!” A few days back I was chatting with a founder who’s having some trouble with one of his partners. This partner had committed to inject more capital into the company on a certain schedule, but because of extenuating financial circumstances surrounding the pandemic, the partner asked if he could delay his payment. My friend said no, and it’s devolved into an ugly situation very quickly. I gave him some tactical advice on what specific options might make sense, but then moved to the real issue for the bulk of the conversation. “God gives us brains to think through options and make solid decisions, but ultimately He is much more concerned with the condition of our heart than anything else. It’s important to pray through what to do, but it’s far more important to meditate on where you’re at. Are you praying for the best interests of the partner? Are you seeing them through God’s eyes?” “Well I’m very angry at them. And God is VERY angry at them.” “To be honest I’m not sure about that. I can’t say I know God’s will better than you, so you’ll have to ask Him for yourself. But when I see people through God’s eyes I see how precious they are, how much God loves them and wants the best for them. He does get angry sometimes but that’s in the context of bringing his children closer into relationship with Himself. This partner has no relationship with Him so that’s not going to help in this situation.” Besides Jesus himself, for me no one exemplifies this better than David. After inviting David to serve faithfully in his court, King Saul attacked David multiple times and eventually sent an army to hunt him down. David had multiple opportunities to strike King Saul and in my book would have been totally justified in the name of self-defense. But David continued to honor and love King Saul. He continued to see him through God’s eyes. Through this experience came some of the most heartfelt worship songs the world has ever known, and a wonderful example of what it means to honor God’s children, even when it hurts. Lord thank you for drawing us closer and helping us see others through your eyes. Each and every child of yours is precious, and the more we see that the more we’re willing to sacrifice for them as Jesus did. I love you. In your son’s most precious name, Amen.