Deacon Jude Tam Tran

I SEE SOMETHING IN YOU

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18
“Do not despise these small beginnings.” Zechariah 4:10
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

A young German immigrant named John Jacob Bausch arrived in America with little money, big dreams, and an accent thick enough that nobody could understand him unless he spoke slowly and pointed at things.

Like many immigrants, he had more ambition than cash.

He was a trained optician and chemist, fascinated by lenses, optics, and precision instruments. Unfortunately, fascination does not pay rent. Landlords throughout history have shown shocking disrespect for unpaid passion projects.

So, one month came the dreaded conversation.

Bausch nervously approached his landlord, Henry Lomb.

“Mr. Lomb,” he said, “I regret to inform you that my financial condition has entered what modern startups call ‘pre-revenue optimization.’”

Translation:
“I’m broke.”

Lomb folded his arms.
“So, you don’t have the rent?”

Bausch smiled weakly.
“I have vision.”

Landlords are generally less interested in vision than in checks.

But Lomb had noticed something unusual about this tenant. The young man worked late into the night polishing lenses with obsessive care. He talked about the future as if he had already visited it. Most broke people spend their nights complaining. This broke man spent his nights building.

That caught Lomb’s attention.

Finally, Lomb asked,
“What exactly are you trying to create?”

Bausch’s eyes lit up.
“Better lenses. Better optics. Better instruments. One day people everywhere will look through what I build.”

Lomb stared at him quietly.

Most people see debt.
A few people see destiny.

Instead of throwing him out, Lomb made an extraordinary decision. He said,
“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you stay in business. In return, I want half the company.”

Imagine that moment.

One man had knowledge but no money.
The other had money but enough wisdom to recognize potential.

Together they built something neither could build alone.
And that is how many great things in life begin:

not with perfection,
not with comfort,
but with two imperfect people willing to believe in something larger than themselves.

Of course, success did not happen overnight.

There were long hours, failures, setbacks, disappointments, manufacturing problems, financial pressure, and probably moments when both men stared at each other thinking:

“This partnership was a terrible idea.”

Every successful company has those moments. Modern entrepreneurs simply rename them:

“strategic recalibration,”
“temporary cash-flow constraints,”
or the famous,
“we are pivoting.”

Ancient people just called it “panic.”

But they kept going.

Years later, the small partnership became one of the most recognized names in eye care and optics – Bausch & Lomb

The irony is beautiful.

A company dedicated to helping people see clearly was founded because one man had the ability to see clearly into another human being.

Most people only evaluate what someone currently is.
Very few people can see what someone may become.

That is why talent is often ignored while appearances are rewarded.

The world says:
“Show me your success first.”

Faith says:
“I can already see it.”

This reminds me of a powerful verse:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  Proverbs 29:18

Vision is not just about business.
It is about seeing beyond present limitations.

Some people only see unpaid rent.
Others see future potential.

Some see a struggling student.
Others see a future inventor.

Some see a failure.
God may see preparation.

The truth is, many people today are walking around discouraged because their current situation does not match their future calling.

Modern culture worships immediate success. If something takes longer than two weeks, people assume it is dead.

We want six-pack abs in three days.
We want profitable companies in six months.
We want wisdom without suffering.
We want harvest without seasons.

Even social media has trained people to confuse visibility with value.

God often starts great things in hidden places because hidden places develop character.

Another verse says:
“Do not despise these small beginnings.”  Zechariah 4:10

That verse is deeply relevant today.

Never underestimate small beginnings:

a tiny business,
a difficult season,
a side project,
a garage startup,
a late-night idea,
or a struggling partnership built on trust.

Many people laugh at small beginnings because they only know how to measure present size.

But history repeatedly shows that the future often enters quietly.

A seed looks ridiculous compared to a tree.

Until it grows.

History changes because occasionally somebody chooses vision over short-term convenience.

And sometimes the difference between failure and greatness is simply one person willing to say:
“I see something in you.”

And perhaps the most beautiful lesson in the story is not really about lenses, business, or money.

It is about vision.

Not human vision — God’s vision.

Because long before Henry Lomb looked at a struggling immigrant and said,

“I see something in you,”

God had already said it first.

That is the story of nearly every person in the Bible.

Moses saw a fugitive and a failure.
God saw a deliverer.

David’s family saw a shepherd boy forgotten in the field.
God saw a king.

Peter saw an impulsive fisherman who kept making mistakes.
Jesus saw the rock upon which He would build His church.

God looks deeper.

The Bible says:
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

That changes everything.

A caterpillar cannot understand butterflies while crawling.
A seed cannot imagine forests while buried underground.
And a struggling person often cannot see what God already sees inside them.

God does not invest in us because we are already finished masterpieces.
He invests in us because He sees what we can become.

So, the next time life feels uncertain, remember the lesson behind Bausch & Lomb:

Greatness often begins when somebody sees beyond present limitations.

And even if nobody around you recognizes your potential yet, never forget:

God already does. He still looks at imperfect, unfinished, struggling people and lovingly says:

“I see something in you.”