Eyes Forward
An old (non-attributable) saying goes something like this, the eyes are like windows to the soul. I disagree, unless of course God said it, but I can find no such specific reference in the bible. Until the time comes, when our souls are separated from our bodies, I trust that only God can see our souls. Our actions are better keys to the contents of our souls, but even those keys won’t reveal much to the casual visitor, which is why none of us are qualified to judge another human being. One action at a time we can evaluate, but the entirety of any soul is for only God’s eyes and consideration. Our eyes however, do something quite unique, they can see everything in front of them, except for themselves. I suppose that is exactly what God intended.
We are even less capable judges of ourselves than of others. Our minds play games with what we see and our memories are selective, allowing us to measure the value of their relative content. Sometimes this is helpful and sometimes cruel. Have you ever noticed how we look better in a mirror than we do in a photograph? That is a great clue to the power of the mind but should also be a flashing warning of trouble ahead. We attempt to see ourselves as others see us, but that is psychologically impossible for every other viewer is also placing a personally slanted value on what they see. We also see others as we want to see them, which is hardly fair to any of us. A better approach would be to stop worrying about what everyone else might see and focus simply on what God sees in us. God’s love does not decapitate His objectivity as ours does. God’s vision is unobstructed and His understanding is unequivocal. His judgement is also the only one that ultimately matters.
Easier said than done? Are you thinking, my boss doesn’t do that, and he or she judges me every day! My family doesn’t do that either, in fact nobody does, so where does that leave me if I’m alone in this venture? I see it this way, God has already determined that my value outweighs my weak and selfish nature. Through Jesus, for those of us who believe in and follow Him, He has already forgiven my trespasses and instructed me to forgive others. That eliminates the obstacles in the first two sentences of this paragraph. Now we simply need to accept that God’s way is the best way, and trust that He will help others to see it that way to0. Jesus, is changing lives, one at a time. Eyes forward, trusting faith.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
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