Real Things.

Seeing 20/20

When I was five years old, I looked through the corner of my eye and thought I was “seeing double” (every kid must do this!) and my mom took me to see the eye doctor. After the arduous visit, a diagnosis of astigmatism (unrelated to the seeing double…) and about a week of waiting while my frames were sent away for custom lenses, I was wearing brand new eyeglasses. They were perfect – oversized for my still-growing face, a shade of golden brown that reminded me of those cod liver oil capsules my mother used to make me take and they wouldn’t even need masking tape on the legs for at least a few months and/or basketballs to the face.

Yeah, they were great.

Okay… they were nerdy.

But I didn’t care because for my first five years I thought I could see perfectly.
But now… now, I could really see!

What does this have to do with forgiveness – with second chances?

Look into those eyes. Yeah, those eyes on the poster. You may have guessed who this is depicting already. Perhaps her image evokes an emotional response – anger or sorrow.

Keep looking into those eyes. Maybe you don’t feel anything – you don’t even care, you’d rather she not take up one more thought in your mind.

Both responses reveal unforgiveness – a lack of grace. How? Because whenever you look at a human being, the most elegant creation of God, one for whom Jesus suffered, died, and saw the Father’s face turn away from him for and have hatred or it’s close relative indifference – you are unforgiving and the grace of God is coming up short in your heart.

Why does this matter? Why does she matter? Why do they matter? Because Jesus is glorified and lifted up to where the lost and broken can see him when his people live mercy like him.

Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that the blind would see and so that those who see will become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees who were nearby heard Jesus say this and asked, “Are you saying we are blind, too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you keep saying you see, your guilt remains.” John 9:39-41 NCV

When we hold onto hate or ridicule the one in need of grace, we are like the pharisees claiming to be righteous in and of themselves – as though we have 20/20 vision in our hearts – truthfully, we’re blind.

But if we’ll look into those eyes and see a person – maybe even see ourselves – then we can see our own need for mercy and realize how much of it we’ve already received.

• Can you look into those eyes? (click here to zoom in…)
• Whose eyes would you never look into?
• Have you ever had a “now I can see!” experience?
• Who do you need to forgive right now?