The Important Stuff
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight …. ––Philippians 1:9
The German word gestalt sums up the core thoughts and experiences that tell us who a person really is when integrated as a whole. This is opposed to the outer personality or the image someone projects. Jesus was great at nailing people’s gestalt, and once He found a handle, He went for it. He could go there because He loved people deeply. That is why, for God’s man, there is a defined connection between deep Christ-like love for people and the insight God gives us about others.
Similarly, Jesus hugely disdained and chastised those with spiritual costumes who only pretended to care for people. And he didn’t hold back. Toward the Pharisees and other religious leaders of His time, He collectively called them: “A brood of vipers (Matthew 12:34-35) and “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27-28). Jesus’ enemies were clueless to the real needs in people’s hearts because they loved themselves more than the people they were tasked to help. The point is, why would God give any man insight into people if the man has mixed motives in his heart? That’s just the equivalent of a spy agency that works for a dictator in a totalitarian regime: information to be used for incrimination. Rather, we serve a benevolent King whose motivation is love and transformation.
This spiritual skill of seeing behind the outer façade of a person also implies a clear ability to help people, and an understanding of what really matters in life. As we grasp these spiritual insights through God’s Word, His Holy Spirit, and the examples of other godly believers, it allows us to integrate those core values into our lives.
Our task as God’s men in connecting with others is to be guided by love and an ability to discern, to see the important stuff. “What’s that?” you ask? It means you care enough to know their heart issues and you’re good at asking questions that connect to the heart. You become a safe harbor—driven by trust and love—rather than a dangerous obstacle they should avoid for fear of retribution or condemnation. His dream for you is not to be a good heart doctor, but a great one, like Him.
Father, help me focus on the important stuff that mimics Your love, along with Your care and compassion for people.