How do you see the world? It’s interesting that we never ask how you hear the world, or how you taste or feel the world. As it turns out, the eyes have it!
We think of our eyes as an amazing way to gather information about the world around us. The eyes are like visual sponges, soaking up the things we see without necessarily even being aware of what we we’ve seen. But the eyes have something that none of our other senses have. They provide a natural reflection of what’s going on in our hearts and minds.
We have to try pretty hard to hide our inner feelings and intentions so our eyes don’t give us away. Even children are quick to pick up on what our eyes are saying. When our daughter Brittany was a little girl, she asked her mom to watch a little dance she had made up. Melanie was busy doing laundry but still offered to be Brittany’s audience. Even though Melanie was preoccupied with laundry, she said to Brittany when the dance was finished, “That was really good.” Without skipping a beat, Brittany responded, “Watch me again, Mommy. But this time with your eyes over here!”
Our eyes can say a lot about what we are feeling. We can easily tell if someone is sad. We can notice when there is a twinkle in someone’s eyes, and we are pretty good at using the eyes to judge shame and guilt. We can even gauge a person’s passion and enthusiasm by what their eyes naturally tell us.
But there are even more amazing things about the eyes beyond what the they see and what they reflect.
First, in both a physical and figurative sense, the eyes are a filter into our hearts and minds that help determine our outlook on life. As Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22). It’s not just what you see that matters. It’s how you see it.
You know what it’s like to talk to someone who seems blinded to some particular truth. A friend of mine from college once said, rather ironically, “I can’t see how some people can be so blind.” When truth is twisted or information is only selectively gathered to support our mindset, we dim the light that otherwise should fill our souls.
We were so blessed to have the notes that Elijah was writing before he died. One of the encouraging things he wrote was on this very subject of seeing things correctly. He wrote, “Some people think they aren’t capable when they really are and they just don’t see it with the correct mindset.” (Elijah 2014). A healthy view of the world comes from seeing things through eyes that discern truth and look for hope.
Secondly, we have the strange ability to link into other people’s eyes. While I may be able to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, it’s much more incredible that I am able to see things through someone else’s eyes. Try seeing the world through the eyes of a child. It will change how you live.
Lastly, and most significantly, is our ability to see things that cannot be seen. We actually have the ability to see the unseen.
It is comforting to me that Elijah’s favorite scripture verse was 2 Corinthians 4:18. It was part of the last thing he texted to his sister Tina. “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.“
I think I see what he meant.
Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.
-Ken Buchanan
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