Seeing is Believing

Yesterday I had my annual eye check up. Thanks be to God I can still see!

Ever hear someone say: “I’ll believe it when I see it!” or “Seeing is believing!” That isn’t the posture that pleases God. He is all about seeing but not how well we see with our physical eyes. He wants His kids to see with hearts of faith and love.

Remember young David who was called up from the fields where he tended his father’s sheep? Just a shepherd boy amid his older brothers who had been pranced before the Prophet Samuel to determine which one outshined them all. None of those “beauties” had the “IT” factor.

Samuel had been prepared by God to not look with his eyes but his heart: The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

So, after that beauty pageant, and Samuel’s eyes didn’t see “the goods” that were needed for kingship, he asked “Do you have any other sons?” Jesse (their dad) remembered THE ONE who SEES in the fields. The next thing we know – Samuel is anointing David as king!

I want that kind of heart that God can put His stamp of approval on – not necessarily what my physical eyes see – but what my spiritual eyes see. Eyes that see like my Father sees. I want to SEE with the eyes of faith because if my eyes are open – really open – I will see differently – more than meets my eyes.

When I work at the family center, my eyes SEE many downtrodden and homeless people. I could think: “Why don’t they get a job?” But, when I see them through God’s eyes, I see one of God’s beloved children. I see a child of God who has been broken.

They started out as innocent children with dreams and hopes, but their mistakes and failures created a rough life. The very least I can do from my eyes that see them is to pray for them AND even help them find a backpack or socks or a blanket.

My EYES were opened a week ago at the family center. A very hunched-over man with very red, parched skin bought a box of Hershey’s candy bars. He proceeded to hand those candy bars out to our cashiers and me.

My eyes had only seen his physical appearance before. Now, I saw a beautiful man with a heart of love. I won’t ever see a Hershey’s candy bar the same. This day my eyes were opened to his beauty and a heart of love.

Our eyes need to be transformed:
from seeing storms — to seeing Noah’s rainbow
from seeing giants — to seeing David’s slingshot and stone
from seeing our weakness — to seeing Samson’s strength
from seeing a sinner — to seeing a robed prodigal bearing the ring of grace on our finger and kiss of our Father on our face.

Those are the eyes I desire, Lord! I want to see God’s hand at work in our lives and in our world. Seeing with the eyes of faith is believing that God has something up His sovereign sleeves that will open our eyes to His love, mercy and grace!

I’m considering an eye transplant. I desire new eyes that see from the heart of God Who sees beyond an earth-bound level. He sees with a “nothing is impossible” mindset. I want that mind-set and faith-set — trusting in what my physical eyes cannot see.