Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Romans 4:17

 

Can you predict a divorce? When asked about the signs that typically precede a divorce, a renowned marriage counselor shared that a major indicator leading to a split, is contempt for one another.[1] Contempt is defined as the feeling that a person or thing is worthless or beneath consideration.[2]

The anecdote to contempt is positive intent, which simply means believing the best about those around you. But thinking the best of others’ unseen intentions is hard! We view one another as we are at this moment. Maybe, we also keep a list of past wrongs, ensuring we don’t forget the messes those in our lives have made. This can seem like a good way to prevent ourselves from getting hurt. But it’s not the way God views us.

The Bible talks about God as the One who calls into being things that were not, saying, He is “the God who creates new things out of nothing” (Romans 4:17). God is a visionary, looking beyond what’s seen, to our hidden potential and beauty. God sits above time. He doesn’t just see who you are today– He sees who you will be and calls the things that are not as though they already were.

We can also see others in this way, not by living in denial or ignoring problems, but by choosing to believe the best of others. Faith in what God can do in each of us allows us to see beyond the present reality of the mess, to see ourselves and others as we could be.

[1] Gottman, John. “The 6 Things That Predict Divorce.” The Gottman Institute, www.gottman.com/blog/the-6-things-that-predict-divorce/. Accessed 19 May 2023.

[2] Oxford English Dictionary. “Contempt.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2021,https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/contempt. Accessed 19 May 2023.