Seeing and Perceiving

“The eyes are the window to your soul.”

~ William Shakespeare

With social distancing, quarantine precautions, and the wearing of masks, the eyes tend to be our focal point for recognizing the people we encounter.  Since the mouth and other facial parts are covered by the mask, it is sometimes difficult to discern expressions.  With effort, much can be revealed when taking the time to look into a person’s eyes. 

This season of quarantine and slow re-entry is also giving us the time to take a good look at the needs of others, situations, as well as self-inventory.  May we concentrate on seeing, listening, looking for changes that need to be made, and then taking action on what needs to be done.  Isaiah warned that we can have eyes that see, but do not perceive.  My prayer for these days is that we can take and make the time to see and perceive through God’s eyes, eyes that also see with the heart.

“Father’s Eyes”

Gary Chapman

And on that day when we will pay for all the deeds we have done,

Good and bad they’ll all be had to see by everyone.

And when you’re called to stand and tell just what you saw in me,

More than anything I know, I want your words to be,

She had her father’s eyes,

Her father’s eyes;

Eyes that found the good in things,

When good was not around,

Eyes that found the source of help,

When help would not be found;

Eyes full of compassion,

Seeing every pain;

Knowing what you’re going through,

And feeling it the same.

Just like my Father’s eyes.

And whether we are wearing a mask or not, when others look at us, may they see that we have our Father’s eyes.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”

Matthew 6:22

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:8

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 19:8

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Psalm 119:18

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

2 Corinthians 8:21

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Ephesians 1:18-19a

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2a

Learning and Changing

QUARANTINE QUESTIONS:

1. What am I grateful for today?

2. Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?

3. What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today?

4. How am I getting outside today?

5. How am I moving my body today?

6. What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

THE ENEMY WILL TRY

TO LIMIT YOUR PRAYING

BECAUSE HE KNOWS YOUR

PRAYING WILL LIMIT HIM.

~ Sid Roth

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

~ Nelson Mandela

IN THE HAPPY MOMENTS

PRAISE GOD.

IN THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS

SEEK GOD.

IN THE QUIET MOMENTS

WORSHIP GOD.

IN EVERY MOMENT

THANK GOD.

Worship gets you through the hardest times in your life because it shifts your focus from the problem to the problem solver.

Trust in His timing.

Rely on His promises.

Wait for His answers.

Believe in His miracles.

Rejoice in His goodness.

Relax in His presence.

God has brought you through before, and He will bring you through again.  Make a decision, each day, to choose faith over fear.

Maturity comes

when you stop making excuses

and you start making changes.

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

~ Martin Luther King

Make sure you test positive for Faith.

Keep distance from Doubt,

And isolate from Fear.

Trust God through it all.

What lies behind us and what

lies before us are small matters compared

to what lies within us.

~ Emerson

“Suffering doesn’t destroy faith, it refines it.”

~ Melissa Camp

Philippians is seen as the happiest book of the Bible, yet is was written in prison.  Your circumstance does not determine your joy.

God doesn’t want you to just

FEEL GRATITUDE,

but for us to show it by

GIVING THANKS

to God with our lives.

~ R.C. Sproul

Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.

~ J. Oswald Sanders

Dear Jesus, may Your heart be what others see in us today.

“We can throw stones,

complain about them,

stumble on them,

climb over them,

or build with them.”

~ William Arthur Ward

“The risen Lord will meet us where we are,

but he won’t leave us there.

As you trust him, he will transform you.

The better you come to know him,

the better you will know yourself

and become who God wants you to be.”

~ Dr. Duane Brooks

We aren’t called to shine our own light.

We are called to reflect His.

It is impossible to live in true freedom and fear simultaneously.  Walking in faith puts our eyes on Him, but fear is focused on self.  The world is looking for us to lead them to the foot of the Cross; we cannot do that if we are crawling.

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

~ Dr. Martin Luther King.

“We will not go back to normal.  Normal never was.  Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack.  We should not long to return, my friends.  We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment.  One that fits all of humanity and nature.”

~ Brene Brown

“Keep looking up.  That’s the secret of life.”

~ Snoopy

“This is the challenge for the believer this side of eternity: we cannot trust our perception of God’s closeness to be accurate.  God is near whether we feel him to be or not.  How mindful we are of this truth will directly affect the way we live.”

~ Jen Wilkin

“You either get bitter or you get better.  It’s that simple.  You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down.  The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you.”

~ Josh Shipp

During these days of quarantine and pandemic, Lord, please use written and oral words, experiences, quotes, Your Word, or whatever you want, to teach us to be more like you!  Don’t let us miss out on any lesson/blessing you have for us.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:12