Known by Love

I heard a story today about Paul in Athens, standing among philosophers, Stoics, and people who believed very differently than he did. What struck me wasn’t that he corrected them—it’s that he saw them first.

He didn’t come in tearing down.
He acknowledged them.

“I see that in every way you are very religious…”

He even pointed out their altar to an “unknown god.” Almost like he was saying, you’re closer than you think.

That hit me.

Because how often do I look at people and immediately separate myself from them? Different beliefs, different lifestyles, different views—and I draw a line. But Paul didn’t start with division. He started with connection.

He saw something deeper.

He saw that behind all the ideas, all the philosophies, all the noise—there was still a search. A longing. Something placed in all of us by God.

And maybe that’s the point.

Not that we all believe the same thing—but that we are all, in some way, reaching for the same source. The same God. The same truth. The same love.

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
— Acts 17:28

That means even when someone doesn’t fully know Him… they’re still sustained by Him.

And if that’s true, then how I see people matters.

Maybe the person in front of me isn’t someone to correct, avoid, or judge.
Maybe they’re someone God is already working in.

Maybe love is the bridge.

“Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
— 1 John 4:7

Not perfectly. Not completely. But there’s evidence there.

So today, instead of looking for differences, I’ll look a little deeper.

I’ll look for God in people.
Not in perfection—but in presence.
Not in agreement—but in love.

Because if God is love… then anywhere love shows up, He’s not far.

Prayer

Lord,
Help me to see people the way You do.
Not through judgment, but through understanding.
Give me eyes to recognize Your presence, even when it looks different than I expect.
Teach me to lead with love, to connect before correcting,
and to trust that You are already at work in the hearts around me.
Amen.