give me Your eyes

"Give me Your eyes for just one second, give me Your eyes so I can see..."
Give me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath

Every once in a while a stray comment, a subtle look, a word will surprise me and remind me. Remind me that I am different. I am really not sure how to explain it, but I am learning to see the world from a view that contrasts to the view of many people. I already do, really. It is hard to express sometimes, and hard for me to show, but I see people very differently. I do not want to sound at all pompous or "holier than thou," but only express what I have observed.

I do not really dislike many people until the idea is put into my head. I am just not really inclined to dislike people in general. I try to see them as just as stuck as me. I try to look for the positive side, the other perspective. I try hard not to judge. I try to look at people and remember that they have hopes and dreams and hurts. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, even when it ends up hurting me.

It is a hard way to see things let me tell you. It makes me more responsible for the way I treat people I do not like. It requires a powerful conscience. But it is how God sees us. We do not even know half of what distant people suffer-so how can we condemn them? Things are so often misconstrued. That is why I try to keep an 100% honesty policy with my dearest friend. Of all people, I don't want to misunderstand her, and she does not want to misunderstand me. Even when it is hard, sometimes, I feel that this deep honesty and vulnerability is healthy. God already knows what hurts me, often before I know it hurts, but she cannot read my mind. And though she shares all her weaknesses, I still see her as one of the strongest people I know. Yes she is weak-and so am I, but I have seen her face those weaknesses and be filled with the mighty strength of God, a powerful thing to see indeed.

We have heard it so often, that God's strength is made perfect in weakness, but I do not think we always believe it. On the contrary, I think we feel we have to stay strong, that we have to be rocks, emotionally speaking, and not let anything get to us. This, I believe is for protection from judgment. I think God just laughs at us, trying to hold it all in, bursting at the seams with hurts and sorrows.

We are messed up, shipwrecks on the shores of life. Only God can set us sailing again. Rather than trying to sail while sinking further and further, we have to admit we do not have it all together. We have to run to God, and let Him slowly patch our holes, mend the sails and empty us of all the water we have taken in. We have to let Him tear out a few boards more so He can fix the holes well, let Him poke and pull our sails so they are mended cleanly and we can sail firmly. He has to take out the dirty water, empty us of all that we have held onto, so that He can fill us with blessed cargo of kindness, generosity and love and carry it to those in need.

As I think about this more and more, I feel that we all want to think this way, or even that we do think this way. It is the execution that we get stuck on. Wouldn't everything be a little simpler if we all looked at the world as though it is hurting? To realize that we are not the only ones with sorrows, struggles and pain? I certainly haven't mastered it, let me tell you. The influence of other people can hit us hard. To fit in, sometimes, this part of us is compromised first. I don't want to compromise this anymore. I want to be better, to judge less and love more. I am going to try my hardest, pray my deepest prayers to see as God sees. To look for the good in folks, to hurt for them and treat them as though they are loved...

because they are.

"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 brokenhearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me Your love for the ones forgotten, give me Your eyes so I can see."