Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Proverbs 22:9
This week I learned a great lesson while watching The Magic of Belle Isle, a wonderful movie about life. An older gentleman was attempting to teach a teenager to look closely at things all around her and use her imagination to see things of beauty with her eyes rather than technology. The scene was a dirt road overhung with trees in a small town. When he asked, “What do you see?” She replied, “Nothing”. He changed the question and asked, “What don’t you see?” At that point, she could name things that were not there.
The exercise was so eye opening that it has encouraged me to make it part of my daily routine. Now when I walk outside really early in the morning, I make a mental note of what I don’t see. Some mornings, I don’t see rain, I don’t see a plane in the sky, I don’t see hatred, I don’t see busyness, or I don’t see children waiting for the bus.
Sometimes it’s what we don’t see that can prompt us to re examine our daily conduct. When’s the last time any of us have sat down in a restaurant, in a meeting, at a party, or even in church and not seen our phones either in our hand or closely by? When’s the last time any of us have seen conversation or laughter in these places not interrupted by technology? When is the last time we sat with acquaintances or friends and not seen them through judgmental eyes? When is the last time we passed by a homeless individual and have seen their struggles through eyes of compassion? When is the last time we stopped in our day to think of someone else? We seem to be a generation that is losing the art of communicating with others, and seeing others as God sees them. We are guilty of not seeing the hurt, frustration, loneliness, and despair so many feel.
The truth is that when we view this world through our own sight, the vision is distorted. When we ask God to show us what we don’t see, it’s like the blinders are taken away, and we can see clearly. Lately, I confess to having stumbled a lot in this area of what I don’t see.
This past week as Randy was having a routine test, I settled into the lobby of the Doctor’s building with a good book to wait. The place where I chose to sit had four chairs (strategically apart), and a table in the middle. Almost immediately two guys came and sat in two of the chairs. One had coffee, and I needed coffee, so we spoke, and he directed me to it. I judged or saw them to be there killing time between appointments.
As they interacted, it became apparent that they were brothers, also waiting, and they were worried. They asked about me, and I asked about them. It turns out their Dad was having hip replacement, and since I’m an expert on that, I began to reassure them while painting a positive picture. They smiled, but it was obvious this wasn’t routine. It seems their Dad had broken his hip and damaged muscles and nerves when he was twelve years old and lived in Ecuador. He is sixty now, and he has walked with a limp and lived in pain for forty two years. This surgery, though complicated, would change his life. I didn’t see that when I looked at them. I asked their Dad’s name and told them I would pray for him. Their faces lit up and their eyes filled with tears at this point. It seems they are Christians, but their Dad is unsure. Their last comment as we left was, “Dad will be so thankful for the prayers.” The boys text me every day with updates, and he is now home and doing better. Now, I see.
A woman swims at the pool with us on occasion. She never shares her lane, wears ear buds, never looks up, and ignores people when they try to ask her if she will share. We assumed she was either very rude or just didn’t want to be bothered. We didn’t see that she is deaf until she began to sign to a woman in the lane next to her. She is just trying to exist in this world with out the benefit of hearing. Now we see.
Although Jesus preceded the high tech age, He was in constant demand. The multitudes of people pursued Him at all hours of the day and night. Even with all the different needs around Him, Jesus was able to see the individual needs of those who called on Him for healing, comfort, and direction.
In the picture above, what don’t you see? In the lives of those you love, what don’t you see? When you see those whom you don’t understand, what don’t you see? Jesus would have us open our eyes and see the hurt, pain, but also, the goodness around us. He has lessons for us if we can only see them. No matter when you don’t see Him, God is always there.