You’ve been crying out to God for a long time—you’ve wept, fasted, prayed, and asked Him to give you a man, a husband, a life partner, someone who truly matches you. And God, your Father, sees you, smiles, and sends you signs. But you ignore them, because what you see isn’t what you want. You tell the Lord: “That can’t be him. I asked for a man, a real one—not a child, not half a man, not someone like that.”

Here is the advice I can give you: “Don’t turn your Zacchaeus into a reject.” He carries a mystery. He may be short, but somewhere out there is someone who is waiting for him and will know how to love him as he deserves. And as we Ivorians say so well: “When one lets go, another picks up!”

Do you know that if Zacchaeus hadn’t been short, he might never have met Jesus? And Jesus might never have come to his house? Sometimes, what seems like a weakness in one area can be the very key to your success. In this story, the sycamore tree should have received more recognition than Zacchaeus, because it was through that tree that Jesus saw him.

That sycamore tree didn’t know why it had been created or why it was by the roadside, yet it played a vital role in the salvation of a soul and in advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. Its destiny was to allow a meeting between the Lord Jesus and Zacchaeus. It didn’t have the same purpose as the acacia, the cedar, or the gopher wood—valuable and highly sought-after trees.

Moreover, Zacchaeus’s small stature didn’t allow him to climb just any tree. But this sycamore seemed tailor-made for him—it was in the right place at the right time and low enough for him to climb with ease.

Know this: somewhere out there, someone is tailor-made for you. Who you are, what you represent—someone is waiting for it, someone is waiting for you. Avoid comparison, for it kills. You are a special person to the Creator, and only He truly knows your worth. And that man—the one you look down on, the one you dismiss—he is a son of Abraham. So I repeat once more: “Don’t turn your Zacchaeus into a reject.”

Furthermore, like Jesus, the way you look at your Zacchaeus will change everything. If he’s small—morally, physically, intellectually—if he lacks appeal, “freshness”, style, or social grace, the way you see him and treat him can lift him up. Your gaze can help him grow and remove the very obstacle that hides his true identity.

This man carries a hidden identity—one not listed on his human résumé, one only his Creator and Savior knows. So bring your Zacchaeus to Jesus, and He will reveal who he truly is.

Ultimately, not rejecting your Zacchaeus means refusing to judge someone based on their physical appearance, what people say about them, or what you’ve heard. Just as physical eyes can see only an egg, the eyes of the heart can see a chicken farm within that egg. In other words, your Zacchaeus may be hiding the very treasure you’ve been looking for—without knowing it.

Many times, children of God have cried out for a specific type, a class, a form, or a quality of person. And when God answered them, they failed to recognize the time of their visitation—the time grace came to them. That grace left, and they were left in sorrow. They didn’t pay attention to the signs from God:

• Not to miss their Joseph (known for his handsome appearance and stature);
• Not to miss their David (he was fair and handsome);
• Not to miss their Absalom (renowned for being the most physically attractive man in the entire kingdom of Israel).

“In all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.” — 2 Samuel 14:25 (LSG)

NB: Let us understand this clearly—marriage is not a beauty contest. Let’s not prioritize outward choice at the expense of inward worth, or vice versa. Let God—who knows all—intervene in the choice of our partner. For a Zacchaeus might be hiding an Absalom yet to be revealed…

This text is an excerpt from the book “Winning the Battles Linked to the Mystery of Marriage” written by Rev. Blaise KANGA.

We invite you to read the next article: “Discerning the Harmful Effects of a Malicious Emotional Decree.”