The Eyes of Jesus
By Tracy Smith
“You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they
belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just
as much as they do.”
2 Corinthians 10:7 (NIV)
Give me Your eyes for just one
second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see [1]
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see [1]
As a junior high leader at my
church, I have the privilege of attending awesome events like our recent
retreat. One of the videos we watched was called “God’s Glasses” and it showed
a young man frustrated with many things around him.
His internal dialogue was extremely
crabby and frustrated with everyone he encountered: the pre-teen who
skateboards behind his car every day as he’s leaving; a woman who cuts him off
in the parking lot and steals his parking space; a barista who is overworked so
he must wait for his coffee, etc.
In the midst of his internal
grouching, he is given a pair of glasses to wear that give him different
insight on those around him. Truths about the people around him are revealed,
and his internal attitude starts to change. Some of the things he sees?
The skateboarder “…just needs someone to care.”
The parking spot stealer “…is grieving her best friend.”
The overworked (and possibly slow-moving) barista “…is fighting
addiction.”
His internal dialogue, which quite
frankly seemed to make sense, is suddenly revealed as short-sighted. When it is
revealed what these people are dealing with on the inside, the outside
behaviors are not as frustrating. The video ends with a glimpse of what he is
doing to change himself and his reactions.
I’m ashamed to admit that my
internal dialogue can sound an awful lot like the young man in the beginning of
the video - - especially in certain situations.
I’m challenging myself to stop that
negative, internal dialogue. And even
though I don’t have a special pair of glasses to show me what is really
happening in someone’s life, I need to react with compassion, kindness and
grace to those around me.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Watch the God’s Glasses video. Does this video challenge you in any way? If so, what is
your plan to change things?
2. Watch the video for the Brandon Heath song, “Give Me
Your Eyes.” Does this video challenge you to really see those
around you? If so, what is your plan to truly see others?
FURTHER
READING:
Along with being a wife and mother
to two teenage boys, Tracy is a ministry assistant at Oakwood, serves on the
Women’s Ministry Special Events Team and works with a great group of junior high
girls.
