seeing a person right

. . . when you see a person rightly, you comprehend that they are human. To be human isn't to be material, only material -that is made of clay. It is to be God - breathed into - So, we each have our God-breathed-into-ness about us. We aren't God ourselves, little gods, no, but that spark of something extraordinary is certainly there, and we cannot for a moment pretend that every person doesn't have this outrageous dignity, this divine impairment that separates them from the rest of creation. From the child to the elderly, the poorest of the poor to the rich tycoon, we have equal part God-breath within.

Some would convince us that sin cancels much of this goodness away, and we may falter greatly, or give our selves to evil. This does tarnish things quite a bit. But I contend, if we really see people as God-breathed, we'll see them as God does, with his compassion. God redeems. After he breaths in life, in the creation story, and his two humans muck up the rules, he comes through with redemption right off. He sews them clothes. He covers their shame. He quells their awkward feelings as they hide in the bushes. We may focus on what went wrong, but this is a story of mercy and redemption.

We can only be sub human if we are see a separated from our dignity, the God part of us that was bestowed by gift. We were lifeless, and he animated us, and we became aware. Then we could freely choose to love or to hate him and what he made.

Will we see others right, and rightly?