I spy with my little eye.....

If you have ever tried to judge the contents of a book simply by looking at the cover, you may have been somewhere into the first couple of chapters only to find what you thought the book may have been about turned out to be something totally not like expected!  You may have been very disappointed in your initial "assessment" of the book, even leaving it unread any further just because you weren't interested in it, or it was way too poor of a read. Once I get into the "heart" of the book, and I find what I hoped was contained there is missing, or falls short of what I expected, I usually abandon it, never to pick it up again. What I hoped was a "good read" leaves me a little disillusioned. Sometimes there are things in life that look like they will be a 'good thing', but once we find ourselves in the midst of them, they aren't exactly turning out the way we imagined!

Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.  (Proverbs 27:19)

While each of us are definitely not "books", we do "reflect" a certain image or 'cover' to the world by how we conduct ourselves, dress, and what appears on our face. I am often called on the carpet because my face betrays my REAL feelings toward some decision or situation that is evolving. So many people today have become proficient in "putting on a happy face", but deep underneath, they seethe in anger, wallow in disappointment, or are bubbling at high heat with absolute discontent. I am a people-watcher and you can often observe me just watching others. I like to observe how they walk, what they do with their hands, how they posture, where they position themselves in a group, etc. It tells me a lot about that person, but it never tells me the whole story. In fact, to really get to know the individual, I need to study their eyes. Within their eyes, I can often see hurt, fear, folly, or any number of other emotional connections that give me some insight into the individual. That insight either entices me 'into' relationship with them, or it repels me. It isn't that I want to offend them, but it is like I get a short way into the book and find it doesn't 'match' what I hoped to find in the pages within!

Windows to our soul - eyes are windows - and it is quite true if you consider what the eyes 'betray' about an individual. They often betray our true response to a situation quicker than any other part of our being. They also act as the "gateway" by which a whole lot of stuff affects us! What we behold with our eyes often determines our response to the situation.
When I am tired, and maybe even a little beat down by life, my eyes are dull - they don't reflect much life or enthusiasm at that moment. When I am energized from within by the Holy Spirit that resides within, there is a vitality evident in my eyes, despite the physical fatigue my body may feel. I have seen men and women in their last days of struggle with terminal disease, bodies consumed with disease and pain, with eyes aglow with the joy of the Lord. If I only looked at the "cover" of their book, I'd see an entirely different story than what is really contained within the pages of their heart! We often discount a 'good read' by the cover!

We need to become proficient at "reading" what is reflected in the eyes. Even if someone has become proficient at wearing the "masks" of life, simply covering over what is affecting them at the moment, their eyes are visible through the mask! The eyes are a true reflection of what is happening deep within the heart - as we 'read' the eyes, we are gaining insight into the individual's heart. The heart is the seat of our emotions - emotions are affected by much and by their very existence, they motivate or hold us back. Learning to go beyond the "cover" story will allow us to minister to others in ways that only God can do. It will also allow them to minister to us when we aren't willing to put forth the 'true' picture of where we are at that moment in our own life's struggles. Just sayin!

The window is open

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT)

If you have ever watched people, you know we humans come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and dare I say, complexities! The wide range of dissimilarities is evident, while the even wider range of similarities is glaringly obvious, as well! We all have skin - although it may be dark, light, paper-thin, or leather-like from too much time in the sun. We all have eyes - some with two rather well-working ones, others with neither working well. We all have a heart beating within and lungs expanding to take in air and let it out when it is no longer useful to our bodies. As I watch people around me, I observe one thing with almost all of them - their eyes. Why? As it has been said, the eye reveals much more about a person than almost any other feature of their make-up, for it is the window to their soul. The eye betrays or confirms their "heart condition".

It was the American author Minna Antrim who said, "A beautiful woman delights the eye; a wise woman the understanding; a pure one, the soul." She is also quoted as saying, "Experience is a good teacher, but she sends a terrific bill." The soul is defined by the "bill" it has had to pay - the "debt" that has been accumulated by the tremendous amount of experiences one has endured over the course of one's lifetime. The make-up of every man and woman is impacted by the types of experiences one comes into contact with and how we each choose to deal with them, or perhaps reject them completely. The "bill" we owe is often the direct result of us having taken on more than we should have!

The soul is revealed through the window of the eyes - the heart condition of each individual is evident to those who will look deep enough to discover the truth within. When I look into the eyes of those closest to me, I most often see love - even when I know they are frustrated with me, the circumstances I am presenting, or the difficulty I am creating in their lives right now. There is something of God in those eyes - for within the eyes of those I have chosen to surround myself with I can frequently catch huge glimpses of grace and love. Perhaps this is the one thing we should always have in common, but which oftentimes escapes us more than it should.

My BFF and I frequently quip about being able to find "a good man" and just how hard that actually is, for we all carry some baggage from our past. Some of us have made a rather short list of "qualifications" for those we will allow into our lives, while others have a list so lengthy it almost makes it impossible for anyone to get close to them! My qualifications are simple - love God with all your heart. In turn, your soul will reveal elements of his grace, your mind will be settled on truth, and your spirit will soar to heights I can only sometimes imagine. If your eyes reveal that love - I am drawn to you without question. I don't care if your skin is dark or light, you are tall or short, you have too much "fluff" or are buff beyond measure. I care about what your eyes reveal as to the condition of your soul. 

Maybe we'd be better off today if we'd stop looking at the statement we make with our clothes, the number of tattoos or piercings we have, or the precision of our make-up applied and just look a little deeper into the window of our souls. It could be there that the deepest and most meaningful connections will be made for mankind has been created with the capacity for so much of God's grace and love to fill and indwell the inner man. Just sayin!

Enjoying what we have

I enjoy a good meal, a little time with a close friend, and hugs from my grandsons.  I also enjoy rainy days, a good book, and a sappy movie.  You could probably make a list of things you enjoy, as well.  Some might list things like a sporty car able to zip on down the road with wind blowing wistfully through their hair, or perhaps a long walk on the beach at sunset. Some of what we enjoy is because of where we are or what we possess - the car or beach make the occasion.  For others, it is about who we are with that the "cements" the enjoyment factor.  I would go with the latter - for the company I keep makes all the difference in how much I enjoy the moment! As some of you know who have been following me for some time, I am "single again" - meaning I was married, but have been without a spouse in my life for over 26 years now.  You could say my life's journey has not been the same since the divorce, and you would not be far from the truth - because the past 26 years have done more to "cement" my relationship with Jesus and brought me much enjoyment in the process!  Now, I am not advocating divorce, but if you find yourself in the situation of being "alone" in this world, you can choose to bemoan the fact or you can allow God to turn your moaning into dancing!  

It’s better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind.  (Ecclesiastes 6:9 CEV)

Always wanting something else is a dangerous habit we sometimes fall into in this life.  I know I run into this in my own life as it applies to food!  I have fruit, veggies, and the like in the refrigerator, but when I get the munchies in the evening hours, I want "something else"!  You know what I am talking about, don't you?  We have hamburger in the freezer, but want steak.  We drive a Ford, but want a Ferrari.  We live in a comfortable house, but we want a mansion of sorts.  What we don't recognize is what Solomon was trying to reveal to us in the Book of Ecclesiastes:  Life is filled with choices - choose wisely and you will enjoy life much more than if you make the choices of a fool!

I Timothy 6:6 reminds us "Godliness with contentment is great gain".  Nothing is farther from the truth than the idea that God wants us poor or "impoverished" in any manner.  In fact, he wants us to know all he has is at our disposal - for we are his kids.  What Paul was telling Timothy was that when you enter into this relationship with Jesus (what some call religion, but I call relationship), you find yourself learning true contentment.  The things which once held such an appeal to you begin to take on lesser importance - the shiny sports car is fun to drive, but it isn't all we live for anymore. 

Learning to enjoy what we have - not what we could have, should have had, might someday have - but what we have.  This is something mom's try to teach their kids when they are little tykes - when they tell them they cannot have every toy in the store just because they want it!  It is something we continue to learn when we get into grade school when the teacher reminds us we need to apply ourselves to get the "A" or "Outstanding" on our report care, not just show up in class.  So, why is it we come into adulthood still so conflicted with this lack of contentment?  Maybe it is because we have this little thing called "eyes" - cuz what the eye sees long enough, the heart somehow comes to want!

Back in the day, when I was a kid, we lived in a time when Sears would issue their Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer catalogs.  Anyone remember those days with me?  We'd pour through those catalogs in the evening hours, imagining how we'd look in that new dress, admiring the shiny appliances, and thumbing through endless possibilities of all we could own if we had the money to buy it!  Catalogs were "fodder" for the discontented heart!  Today, we have such things as EBay, Amazon, and all manner of internet shopping experiences.  Now, lest you think I am against any of these sites, let me clarify that I am an Amazonian!  I like the prices I find there, the convenience of having it delivered to the house, and I often find selections of items there I cannot find in my local stores.  When I needed a shed, I went that route because I didn't have a truck to pick one up at the local retailer and it came it a huge box!!!  I needed it to be forklifted into my backyard close to where it would be erected, so Amazon it was!

My point is this little problem we have with our eyes - for they are often the very thing which allow the first "niggling" of desire to begin to take root within.  If we realize this, we might just treat what we allow our eyes to behold and / or how frequently we behold those things a little differently.  For example, I am in the market for a new washer and dryer.  I have used the internet to help me "filter" the ones I am most interested in as I have a limited space in which they will fit.  Then I can read the reviews by those who have already used these models.  In time, I have come to filter it down to just a couple of choices.  If I keep pouring over and over these sites, I become more and more confused.  So, I found a couple which will work well for me, and am now waiting for them to come on sale.  Wisdom is needed in what we allow our eyes to behold and / or how often we take in what it is which forms desire within.

In time, we learn that some things (like God's Word) can be taken in ad infinitum, while things like some of the reality shows on TV we are better off not to take in at all!  Learning to control what comes in the "eye gate" goes a long way in determining how content we will be in this lifetime!  Just sayin!

Are you hiding from God?

Be generous with me and I'll live a full life; not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road.  Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.  I'm a stranger in these parts; give me clear directions. 

(Psalm 119:17-19 The Message)

When we travel through unfamiliar areas, it is not uncommon to be a little uneasy on the roadways, uncertain about where we turn off, merge, etc.  In fact, we might even be a little unfamiliar with the "customs" of the area.  I first encountered "sweet tea" when I ordered my first glass of iced tea in the South.  I had no idea there were two kinds of tea!  In the South, sweet tea is the "norm".  In Arizona, tea with lemon is!  In the South, most things are fried.  In the Arizona desert, most things are baked, broiled, or served with salad!  

God knew that traveling daily with him would bring us into some "unfamiliar" territory.  His precepts are not always the easiest to grasp - his directions sometimes a little fuzzy for us to really "get" the first time around.  In fact, if we only casually listen to them, we can get ourselves into quite a pickle!  David's prayer was to be in a place where his eyes were continually focused on the one who gives the direction - God.  

Yet, in these verses, there is a little contradiction.  Did you catch it?  Look again.  David sets out the idea that HE will not take his eyes off God's path - he will stay focused on where God is leading him.  Then, in the very next breath, he asks God to open his eyes!  This is how we are, isn't it!  We proudly proclaim we are focusing all our attention on God - dedicating our lives to his service - then in the next breath we sigh, "Where'd ya go, God?"  

The straight truth is God knows our eyes don't always focus on him and him alone!  We get "inward" focused.  That is what happens when we close our eyes. We begin to look inward - our imaginations free to create whatever image they wish to conjure up.  Closed eyes are not focused on anything external to self.  They simply focus on us!

I think David might be giving us a little insight here.  We "commit" to walking with our eyes fully open - looking outward toward God and others - but in just a short time, we find ourselves looking inward again.  The tendency to do this is quite prevalent in our society - even in believers.  Why is this the case?  It is easier to keep our eyes shut, closely caring for our own needs and wants, shutting out what it is God sets clearly in our path.  The only thing is that we miss the "miracle-wonders" of God when we do!

As long as we stay "inward-focused", we miss God's revelations along the path we are walking.  We don't see how others play a part in our growth.  We miss the transformation of grace right in front of us.  David hit the nail squarely on the head when he showed us the two sides of the issue - we close our eyes to God's leading, preferring to stay focused on self.  No wonder we struggle with walking upright and God-directed lives!

Here's the cold, hard truth:  As long as we focus inward (eyes closed), we may miss the direction God sets in front of our eyelids!  Have you ever had your eyes shut and someone turns on a light in the room?  Even through the "cover" of your eyelids, the light begins to filter through.  This is how God's truth is - it filters through even when we are "closed off" to his direction!  Thank goodness!  God doesn't leave us long with our "inward focus" - he shines light that breaks through the barriers we set up!

We are all strangers in these parts!  None of us has figured out this walk with God completely!  No one possesses all the insight and revelation God provides.  Yet, we learn from each other - the miracle-wonders of God you experience are trail-markers that another can follow!  We only see them with opened eyes.  David struggles as much as we do - turning his gaze inward on more than one occasion.  In those times, God's light always broke through, opening him to new direction.  

If you have been "closing" your eyes to God's direction, know this:  His light WILL break through your "closed" eyes!  His light is more powerful than your ability to shut him out!  If you have struggled with remaining attentive to his direction, know this:  His trail-markers are still there when you open up to him again!