A Word to Live Into
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Do you have a sensory superpower? I recall noticing that a close friend of mine had a superpower of smell. It was so obvious to me because I was not able to smell as they could. All kinds of things were connected to their sense of smell that seemed a bit foreign to me.
My husband sometimes jokes that I have hawk eyes. I see things. I have always liked the beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
It is quite amazing the way our eyes were designed. All the different parts of our eyes work together to help us see. It begins as light passes through the cornea, then on to the pupil, iris, lens, retina, and optic nerve. Working through all its parts, the eye feeds information to the brain about the world around you, and as a result, you see.
What is fascinating, though, is that two people can be standing right next to each other and see differently. We see and perceive things based on the mental maps our minds fall into. As one expert explains, “Draw a different frame around the same set of circumstances and new pathways come into view. (1)
I love the story of a shoe factory that sent two marketing scouts to a region in Africa to see the possibility of expanding its business there. One scout sent back a report saying it was hopeless because no one wore shoes. The second scout sent back a report saying he thought it was an amazing business opportunity because they didn’t have shoes.
Both scouts went to the same place and saw the same things, but perceived them very differently. Seeing is more than noticing. It involves awareness, perception, and interpretation.
There is a similar story in the Bible. (2) Moses sent 12 spies into the promised land. He told them to go and see what the land was like and what the people living there were like. Was it good or bad?
Ten spies came back and shared that what they saw was bad. They reported that the land was filled with milk and honey, but the people were like giants. In comparison, they felt like grasshoppers. They did not see a way forward there.
Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, came back and reported that what they saw was exceedingly good. They too shared that it was a land flowing with milk and honey. They said, “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land and will give it to us.” They were ready to make a way there.
Although I am pretty good at noticing things, I am very aware that I am also missing a lot. Often, things are hidden in plain sight. It is remarkably easy to look right at something without truly seeing it. Of course, it is heartbreaking to know there are things we are missing concerning people. Imagine what a different place the world could be if we all had eyes to see.
Have you heard the story of Jesus healing a blind man in the town of Bethsaida? (3) Some people brought a blind man to Jesus. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. I find this to be so compassionate. It would be quite disorienting to have your sight return after being blind. To be in private could be a gracious gift. Then Jesus put some spittle on his eyes and asked the man whether he could see anything. The blind man looked up and said, “I see people, they look like trees walking.”
He could see, but not clearly. Sometimes, healing is a process. We grow in our seeing and our understanding over time. Many things may be blurring our sight. How often have we looked out and seen people as if they were trees walking? We saw them, but we did not really see them.
I can recall times when I was living like the blind man in the process of regaining his sight. In some ways, I was still in the dark. I was able to see and understand, but only in part.
Jesus did not give up on the blind man. Once more, he put his hands on the blind man’s eyes, and then the man’s eyes were opened, and his sight was restored. The blind man saw everything clearly.
To grow in faith is a process that involves coming to see the world through God’s eyes. Like the blind man, we all have the chance to look again and continue in our process of seeing more clearly. Seeing clearly can open up a new way of living. It can prepare you for what’s to come. It can enhance what is right in front of you and help you discern what’s next.
How to live into the word see…
Open your eyes to see in a fresh way. Take a few moments and open your eyes to see what is right before you. Take it all in.
Begin your day with a prayer: Lord, give me eyes to see. At the end of the day, reflect on what you saw. Consider - How might you see differently with God’s help?
Is there something in your life that you need help seeing in a new way?
Imagine all there is to see! See and give thanks for what you see.
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Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, The Art of Possibility.
2. Numbers 13:17 - 14:9
3. Mark 8: 22-26
