Change the Lens, Change the Heart

There’s a difference between looking at someone and truly seeing them. 

Not a passing glance. Not a label. But the kind of seeing that demands you stop, take notice, and recognize the full humanity of the person in front of you. 

During my internship at Open Table Ministries, I learned that when we change the lens we use to see others, we change the heart that meets them. When we stop seeing the homeless population as a burden or a problem to be solved and instead see them as people, neighbors, and remember that these are God’s children too, everything starts to change. 

At Open Table Ministry, I have changed my lens and developed that shift. On Tuesdays, we host our Free Store. To the average Joe, it might just seem like a place to pick up clothes or hygiene items. Free Store is a space of community, care, and dignity. People aren’t handed scraps—they are given choices. They aren’t rushed—they’re remembered. A cup of coffee, a pair of socks, a hug. These are some of the small things that carry deep meaning to our neighbors who come to Free Store. 

During Office Hours, we sit one-on-one with neighbors who are navigating complex, exhausting systems—housing, ID replacement, public assistance applications, and managing food insecurity. Sometimes we offer resources. Sometimes just time and presence. But always with the mindset to meet people where they are. 

When we see people clearly, we serve them differently. 

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice… to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” 
— Isaiah 58:6–7 NIV 

This scripture serves as a reminder that faith is not performance-based. It is relational. It is not in rituals or empty gestures, but in how we support the hungry and homeless. The scripture does not simply ask us to give; it also asks us to see and then act compassionately. That is the heart of this line of work. 

The next time you pass someone on the street that you notice is struggling, don’t look away. Don’t look through them. Look at them. See them. If you’re willing, ask their name. Offer encouragement. We don’t have all the answers but just be willing to be present.  

And when someone asks if there’s a place for them, tell your neighbor to pull up a chair at the table...because the table is always open.