Eyes to See

“Babies are born into the world looking for someone who is looking back at them.”

Whether this is a piece of research or just quote based on observation, I am not sure. But the truth of it strikes me.

Just the other week I sat with my 3 kids at the park. Almost simultaneously, I heard them shout out “Mom, watch this!” from 3 different directions. Each child wanted to share what they were doing with me. They wanted to feel seen and celebrated. Every slide, every climb, every race.

We desire to be seen. A reality that has never been more apparent than today, where we can post curated selfies and photos for everyone to see. We want to be seen and known and loved. And will settle for being seen and praised and liked.

We are made for connection. Connection comes from being seen and known. Which must happen in relationship. Which means that we also need to be “seeing and knowing” those around us.

Give me eyes to see.

We look out to see who is seeing us.

Today, in a sermon, the preacher made the point that we hear what we listen for. And I would say that we see what we look for.

I pray that we instead ask God for eyes to see. To see those whom are around us.

If we are only looking around to see who is looking at us, we miss so much. We miss the beauty of those around us. Their stories, their history, their gifts. All the ways they bring beauty into the world in a way that doesn’t directly relate to our life.

We are seen by God who never looks a way. We are known by our Creator who is more intimately acquainted with our souls than even we are. He sees our gifts, our hurts, our deepest sin, and greatest joys. I truly believe that He will send people in the flesh to see and know us in a deep way as well.

But we will best experience that not when we are finding those who see us the way we want to be seen. But when we are choosing to see those around us the way God sees them. We will be known at our most authentic level when we are surrendering ourselves to know others in a genuine way.

We will know God’s delight for ourselves, as we experience delight in those He has placed around us.

We will understand God’s compassion for ourselves, as we feel genuine compassion for the lives of those we are communing with.

We will appreciate God’s mercy for ourselves, as we extend and receive mercy and forgiveness in relationship with our neighbors.

We might grow to believe our worth, as our eyes are open to the worth of those around us.

We may not always like what we see. Or we might have to look closely.

We cannot love well if we do not see. We cannot encourage with sincerity if we are not paying attention. We cannot hold others accountable with grace if we do not approach them with love that comes from acquaintance.

More than that we cannot know those around us, if we are constantly distracted by those that we have no way of knowing. Social media, podcasts, music, and the news. We devote so much time to being familiar with someone who has never met or interacted with us. And yet we interact so little with those we do life with daily.

We see and do not know.

Just a few weeks ago, We said goodbye to our church family. The greatest gift of ministry is getting a front row seat to the lives of so many. We see the success and the hardship. The sorry and the joy. The growth and the setback and the freedom. We see the way that people use their gifts in ways that often go unnoticed. And we see gifts and talents in some that don’t even know they are gifted.

To be in ministry to be seen by many. We stand on a stage or sit at the front. We organize the event and greet people at the door. Our picture is on the website.

People see us.

But we see those who are sitting in the chairs. Who are walking through the doors. Who are teaching the kiddos and fixing the microphones.

I pray that we grow in our desire to look around us. That our eyes are open to the people that God has put in our path. To see their value and their worth.

Give us eyes to see.

Give us a desire to know.

Give us the ability to delight in those around us. To point them to Christ and to allow them to point us to Christ.

To see and be seen. And to behold the Lord together.