“What do you see?” That was what God asked Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:11–12
Do you see opportunities or you see adversities?
The circumstances you see may be real, but what you do with what you see can change the outcome.
A tricycle rider once told me a story that has stayed with me for years.
I had a conversation with him about his life, and he began telling me about his building projects and the enormous amount of money he was spending on the education of his children who were undergraduates at the university.
I was impressed. Then I became curious, and asked him:
“Is all this coming from your tricycle business?”
He said no. His answer led to one of the most interesting business stories I have heard.
The Dream of a Wheelbarrow
The man told me that one day he was sleeping and had a dream.
In the dream, he saw himself pushing a wheelbarrow.
When he woke up, he was puzzled. What could the dream mean?
He prayed about it and continued thinking about what he had seen.
In the normal spiritual context, many would atttribute such a dream of one pushing a wheelbarrow in the dream to poverty and suffering, and would immediately start binding and casting out.
But this man thought differently. After having the dream several times, he eventually decided to do something unusual.
He went to a welder, bought the necessary materials and constructed a wheelbarrow similar to the one he had seen in his dream.
Then he placed it in front of his residence.
Soon, something unexpected happened, people began asking to hire the wheelbarrow for a fee.
He eventually constructed another one.
Then another.
And another.
Over time, what began with one wheelbarrow became a business.
By the time I had the conversation with him in 2018, he told me that he had approximately 100 wheelbarrows, an office and a staff member managing the operation at a popular market in Lagos.
At the time, he charged about ₦500 per wheelbarrow, and he told me that the business was generating close to ₦1 million monthly.
That was in 2018.
I have no idea what became of the business afterward, so I cannot speak to its present size, but the cost of hiring a wheelbarrow is much higher now than when i had that conversation with him.
But the lesson I took from that encounter has nothing to do with the number of wheelbarrows or the cost of hiring it.
More specifically:
What do you see?
Two People Can See the Same Thing and See Completely Different Possibilities
Imagine two people having the same dream where they were each pushing a wheelbarrow.
One wakes up and says:
“What a terrible dream! Wheelbarrow pushing represents poverty. I must pray against poverty!”
The other wakes up and asks:
“Why did I see a wheelbarrow?”
Then he begins to think, to pray about it, to observe, and to ask questions.
And eventually, he builds a wheelbarrow.
One person sees poverty, while the other sees a business opportunity.
The object did not change. The perception changed.
And sometimes, that is the difference between where one person ends up and where another person ends up.
What Do You See?
There is a remarkable question God asked Jeremiah:
“Jeremiah, what seest thou?”
— Jeremiah 1:11, KJV
God was not asking Jeremiah whether his physical eyes were functioning, rather He was testing his perception.
Jeremiah answered:
“I see a rod of an almond tree.”
And God responded:
“Thou hast well seen…”
— Jeremiah 1:12, KJV
That statement is profound.
You can see and still not see correctly. You can look at something physically and completely misunderstand what you are looking at. You can see a problem and fail to see the opportunity hidden inside the problem. You can see an empty building and fail to see a business, see a vacant piece of land and fail to see an estate. You can see technology destroying an old business model and fail to see the new industries it is creating, see unemployment and fail to see a service people desperately need, or see a difficult season and fail to see what that season is teaching you.
The question is not merely: “What are you looking at?” The deeper question is: “What are you seeing?”
The Story of the Two Visitors to India
There is a popular story of rwo men who travelled to India many years ago. As they walked through the streets, they noticed that many people were poor and walked barefoot.
The first man looked at the situation and concluded that the people were too poor to afford shoes. He saw poverty and returned home without pursuing the opportunity.
The second man looked at the same situation but reached a different conclusion.
He reasoned that if so many people had no shoes, there could be a huge untapped market for affordable footwear. He began developing a plan to supply shoes to India and supposedly made a great deal of money.
The lesson is that one person saw a problem, while the other saw an opportunity.
Your Interpretation of a Situation Can Determine Your Response to It
This is one of the most important principles in life:
People don’t always respond to circumstances as much as they respond to their interpretation of those circumstances.
Two entrepreneurs can encounter the same economic environment. While one says; “There is no money anywhere.” The other says; “People are still spending money. What problems are they willing to pay someone to solve?” The first sees scarcity, while the second looks for demand.
Two people can lose their jobs. One concludes; “my life is over.” While the other asks; “What can I now build that I could not build while employed?” The first sees an ending, while the other sees a transition.
Two people can encounter a technological disruption. One says; “AI is going to destroy everything.” While the other asks; “What new capabilities will become possible because of AI, and how can I position myself?”
The circumstances may be identical, but the interpretation is different.
And interpretation influences action.
Faith Does Not Deny Reality; It Sees Beyond It
There is a difference between positive thinking and biblical faith.
Positive thinking can sometimes mean pretending that a problem does not exist but Faith does not require that. It can look directly at the problem and still recognise that the problem is not the whole story.
When the Israelites stood before the Red Sea, the sea was real.
When David stood before Goliath, Goliath was real.
When the disciples faced a storm, the storm was real.
Faith did not require them to pretend otherwise, but it gave them another dimension of perception.
This is why the writer of Hebrews says:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
— Hebrews 11:1, KJV
Faith enables you to take seriously what is not yet visible.
That is why people of faith can look at something difficult and ask: “What can God make out of this?”
Sometimes the Stone Thrown at You Can Become Part of What You Build
The tricycle rider could have interpreted his wheelbarrow dream negatively, instead, he acted on what he saw.
The very object that could have represented poverty in somebody else’s imagination became an instrument of enterprise in his hands.
There is a principle here that applies far beyond wheelbarrows.
Sometimes the thing you initially regard as insignificant may contain the seed of something valuable.
A skill you consider ordinary may be commercially useful. A problem you keep complaining about may reveal a business opportunity. A difficult experience may give you insight that later becomes your greatest advantage. A personal frustration may reveal a problem that millions of other people also need solved. A small idea may become a company. A conversation may become a partnership. A rejected proposal may force you to develop a better product, and a setback may expose a weakness that, once corrected, makes you stronger.
The question is: What are you seeing in what you are experiencing?
Joseph Saw Possibility Where Others Saw Crisis
Consider Joseph. When Pharaoh’s dreams revealed an approaching famine, Joseph did not merely announce the problem, he saw a strategy inside the crisis. He recommended that Egypt store grain during the years of abundance so that the nation could survive the years of famine.
The result was extraordinary. A crisis became an opportunity for strategic leadership.
Joseph told Pharaoh:
“Let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.”
— Genesis 41:33, KJV
Joseph could see beyond the immediate problem.
That is leadership.
Leadership is often the ability to see what others cannot yet see and then organise people and resources around that vision.
The Ten Spies and Joshua Saw the Same Land
Perhaps one of the clearest examples of the power of perception is found in Numbers 13.
Twelve spies went into Canaan.
They saw the same land, the same cities, the same inhabitants, and the same giants.
They returned with the same evidence, but not with the same interpretation.
Ten spies said:
“We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”
— Numbers 13:31, KJV
But Caleb responded:
“Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”
— Numbers 13:30, KJV
Notice something.
Caleb did not say there were no giants. He saw the giants; he simply refused to allow the giants to become bigger than the God who had given them the promise.
That is biblical perception.
Be Careful What You Automatically Label as “Bad”
One of the dangers in life is allowing inherited interpretations to determine our response to everything.
Someone says: “That’s impossible.” You believe it. You automatically block your mind from any possibility therein.
Another says: “People like us don’t do that.” Putting himself and others around him down. And you believe it.
A relative or friend says: “There is no money in that.” And you believe it. His or her experiences cannot be the same with yours.
Someone says: “That industry is finished.” And you believe it. But you can still see people preospering in that same industry!
Someone says: “That dream means something bad.” And you believe it.
The dream may not mean something bad, but because you have believed it, something bad may come out of it.
Wisdom requires examination. Not every interpretation is correct.
The Apostle Paul says:
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV
This is particularly important when dealing with dreams, impressions and spiritual experiences. A dream should not automatically be treated as a divine instruction simply because it is vivid; neither should every unusual dream automatically be interpreted negatively. The appropriate response is discernment. Pray, examine it, seek wisdom, consider the circumstances, test what you believe you have perceived, and then act wisely.
The tricycle rider’s story is interesting precisely because he did not merely have a dream and stop there. He observed, interpreted, tested an idea in the real world and built something.
That is a lesson in practical intelligence.
Vision Is Not Just Seeing the Future
We often use the word vision to mean seeing something that does not yet exist, but vision also involves seeing possibility in what already exists.
A visionary does not only ask: “What will the future look like?” He also asks: “What is already here that everyone else is overlooking?” That is why entrepreneurship is fundamentally connected to perception.
An entrepreneur sees a problem and asks: “Can this be solved?”
A product designer sees inconvenience and asks: “Can this process be improved?”
A scientist sees an unexplained phenomenon and asks: “Why?”
A leader sees disorder and asks: “What system would produce a better outcome?”
A kingdom-minded person sees a need and asks: “How can I become part of God’s answer?”
The Opportunity May Be Hidden Inside the Problem
This is why I often tell people: don’t waste your problems.
That statement may sound strange, but think about it.
Your problems can teach you, expose inefficiencies, force innovation, and develop expertise,.
Your failures can reveal what doesn’t work, your pain can give you empathy, and your difficult environment can force you to become resourceful.
None of this means that we should romanticise suffering, but that we should refuse to waste the lessons, intelligence and opportunities that can emerge from difficult circumstances.
Sometimes the question is not: “Why is this happening to me?” It may also be: “What can I learn from this, and what can I build from here?”
Change the Question
This may be one of the simplest ways to change your life.
Instead of asking: “Why is everything against me?”; ask: “What can I do with what I have?”
Instead of: “Why is there no opportunity?” Find out the problem that exists that people will pay to have solved.
Don’t just ask: “Why did this door close?” Also ask: “What other door might this force me to discover?”
Instead of: “What did I lose?” Ask: “What remains in my hands?”
That last question is particularly powerful.
Remember Moses; God asked him:
“What is that in thine hand?”
— Exodus 4:2, KJV
Moses had a rod. God saw something in what Moses already possessed that Moses had not yet understood.
Sometimes the miracle is not waiting for something to arrive, you only need to recognise what is already in your hand.
What Are You Seeing in Your Life Right Now?
Perhaps you are looking at a business that is struggling. What do you see; failure or information?
Or you are looking at your career; what do you see? A dead end or an opportunity to acquire a new skill?
It could be looking at your community, or your nation. What do you see? Problems or needs waiting for solutions?
Your answers matter, because what you see influences what you pursue.
See Well. Think Well. Act Well.
The progression is important: See well, think well, then act well; because seeing correctly without acting is incomplete.
The tricycle rider could have had the dream, interpreted it positively and done absolutely nothing; and the business would never have existed. He had to move from perception to action. And action without proper perception can also be dangerous. That is why wisdom requires all three:
Perception → Interpretation → Action
What do I see?
What does it mean?
What should I do about it?
This is a powerful framework for business, leadership, relationships, ministry and personal development.
Your Next Breakthrough May Begin With a Different Way of Seeing
The tricycle rider’s story reminds me of something profound:
Sometimes the breakthrough is not initially in the circumstance. It is in your perception of the circumstance.
The wheelbarrow did not suddenly become valuable. The opportunity was there, but somebody had to see it differently. The problem was there, but somebody had to ask a different question. The resource was there, but somebody had to recognise its potential.
This is why Scripture says:
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”
— Proverbs 23:7, KJV
And Paul tells us:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
— Romans 12:2, KJV
Transformation begins with the renewal of the mind. A renewed mind can see possibilities that an unrenewed mind cannot recognise.
So, What Do You See?
Perhaps that is the question you should take away from this article.
Look again at your situation, your business, your career, your skills, your environment, at your problems, and at what is in your hands.
And ask:
“Lord, what am I looking at that I have not yet learned how to see?”
Because you can see wrongly.
You can also see well.
And when you see well, think well and act wisely, your response to life begins to change.
The problem may still be there; the economy may still be difficult, the competition may still be strong, the resources may still be limited, the giants may still be standing. But you begin to see differently.
And sometimes, the person who sees differently is the person who discovers what everybody else overlooked.
So, as you go into your next season:
See well.
Think well.
Act well.
And by the grace of God, end well.
See you at the top.