Deep down, we all want to be seen.

We want our efforts to be seen…

Our successes…

Not so much our failures.

God sees us.

He sees us in our weak moments.

He sees us in our “better” moments.

He sees us for who we truly are.

As Christians, we’re going to mess up. We’re going to sin. But when He died on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the condemnation and judgment we should have faced.

Romans 8:1 tells us, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

An example of this is in John 8 when the religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Obviously, a man was involved, but he was gone, and the religious leaders had set up a trap. They said, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (verses 4–5 NLT).

But Jesus knew exactly what they were doing. And instead of answering right away, He stooped down and wrote in the dirt. We don’t know what Jesus wrote, but whatever it was, it made had a big impact. Then He stood up and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (verse 7 NLT).

The Bible tells us that one by one, they all left, from the oldest to the youngest. So, Jesus said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

She replied, “No, Lord.”

Then Jesus told her, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (verse 11 NLT).

This woman knew she was going to die that day. But instead, everything changed when she looked into the eyes of Jesus and looked at the others who had condemned her. And she believed on the spot. That’s how long it takes to believe in Jesus. It’s instant.

God always sees us for what we can become. Think of Simon Peter. When he was still known as Simon, Jesus gave him a new name, Peter, which means “rock.” Now, if there was anything that Simon was not, it was a rock. He was hotheaded, compulsive, and argumentative. Yet Jesus said, “From now on, you’re a rock.”

Maybe the other disciples were laughing at this, thinking, “Rock? Does Jesus know Simon?” but they didn’t know him like Jesus did.

Because yes, Jesus did know him. But Jesus wasn’t calling Simon what he was; He was explaining what he would become. Where we see failure, God sees potential.

We see a Simon. God sees a Peter. We see the past. God sees the future. We see a mess. God sees a message. God sees us for who we are in Christ, not what we were in sin. God does not see us in our sin; He sees us in His Son. God can change everything in your story—if you’ll only let Him.