I readily admit that I am a crier and an emotional man of Irish decent. When our family joins in the very seldom event of watching a movie in either a theater or family room setting, my kids will place me on watch to see when I will certainly cry during an emotional theme or scene. I was blessed with a mother and father who taught me that it was okay to cry and that men did in fact, cry. One of the limitless and beautiful gifts given to us by our Father in Heaven. He sees and hears our tears in every form. Joy, I hear you. Sadness, I hear you. Desperation, I hear you. Loneliness, I hear you. Need, thanksgiving, drought, plenty, health, sickness, whatever our situation, He hears us and loves us.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14 NIV
I am sure the YouTube video that I have attached to this post has likely been seen by most everyone reading these thoughts. That’s okay. We all need to be reminded of the blessings that are uniquely ours. When I met Christopher through this video and heard the song he was compelled to so sweetly and purely sing, I sat in awe of him, with overwhelming envy that as a blind, autistic child he could sing to our Father in Heaven in a more pure and clearly seeing way than I ever could or can. You see, my vision has robbed my sight of the miraculous glory of my Father in Heaven because I have exposed my eyes to the ugly things that are not of him. To envy. To greed. To desire. To comparison. To the temporal things of this World that simply do not matter in the Kingdom called Heaven and to the Creator of all things wonderful, I Am That I Am.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV
So, my encouragement to you today is that God clearly sees you through His vision of immeasurable love and forgiveness. I encourage you to seek the Father’s face as He sees yours, devoid of the ugliness of human weakness and Worldly brokenness. Seek and see Him simply, sweetly, meekly, vulnerably with a desire to know Him and Him to know you as only He can and will allow you. Today, don’t take for granted the beauty of the Fall colors and the spectacular death that is occurring throughout nature to bring God’s glory through color into the lens of our eyes. Ponder on the irony that in nature’s seasonal death, beauty abounds and new life is taking root. Apply this concept to your own life and lay the death and decay of eyes that have seen too much ugliness, ears that have heard too much sadness, hearts that have been robbed from too much anger and betrayal and lay them all at His feet and plead for eyes, ears and heart that see, smell and beat in the pure form that Christopher’s do.
“For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.” Matthew 13:15 NIV
Take a bold step today by saying, Father, I choose You and all the beauty, life, joy, purpose and impact that You created me for. Father, forgive me for looking down on your beautifully gifted son, Christopher and those blessed like him, and cause me to watch, learn and seek the simply beautiful life that they have with You. You are marvelously created by the Creator of all things for purposes to great to understand in human terms, but supernaturally given because He loves you that much. Peace, love and joy.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14 NIV