Looking at Things with Fresh Eyes

“Fresh eyes” was my pastor’s theme for his sermon this past weekend. I listened attentively, opened my mind and eyes to what God has in store for me. When I left the church, I decided to declutter a few things in preparation for the move I knew I would be making soon.

I saw household appliances, furniture, artwork, my wedding ring, clothes, documents, and other keepsake memories in a different perspective. For me, today, they were meaningless. At one point, I was on a journey carrying the baggage that weighed me down. Today, I left behind things that, at one point, mattered to me. I realized I self-imposed the meaning of objects, actions, and relationships, creating a lively story or a memory that just never really captured the truth.

Again, in my past, I had seen so much of my journey through rose-colored glasses. I decided to listen to my pastor and see things through “fresh eyes” and move on. Grace, I feel the asphalt on my feet and it seems a little unsettling, almost as if I’m walking on cobblestone while wearing stilettos. But you know me, I have several heels for this journey and if I need to, I’ll pull out the platform heels that keep me grounded and continue on my journey. You just never know when you’ll need a good pair of heels to keep your balance while holding a glass of red wine along this road trip.

Guiding Lesson: Eve, how true it is that people, not just you, self-impose the meaning of objects, of actions and of relationships, creating a lively story or a memory that never really captured the truth.  Why does this happen?  What causes us to do this?  How can this be possible?

Why does this happen?
When you look at this question, it touches on the meaning you need in your life that does not exist.  There is a hole and void and hunger inside of you that may be too unbearable to face or look at straight in the eye.  So what do you do?  You may begin to fill in the blank in this equation with external items and then pretend and force the meaning you want upon these things to fill you.  Yet the hole, void and hunger inside was placed there by God and God alone will suffice and satisfy you.  “You have made us for yourself, Oh God, and our hearts are restless, until they rest in you.” (St. Augustine)  How true and real these words are.  Only “Fresh Eyes” can see the right answer in filling in the blank.

What causes us to do this?
This question helps you to look at your self-worth and value.  Do you believe you are God’s beloved daughter who is and will always be loved beyond your heart’s imagination?  Has anyone ever mirrored God’s love for you and helped you discover the greatest love story of all is alive within your heart for God and God for you?  You were not born because God exists. You were born because God loves you and you are an extension and expression of his love here on earth.  If you do not believe this, then your eyes trick you into seeing your self-worth in what you possess, or what titles you hold or how your greatness is based on what you do and not on who you are.  “Fresh Eyes” are the portals to seeing your true self-worth.

How can this be possible?
When you finally get to this question, you really wonder how you ended up here.  You didn’t intentionally plan on this destination.  In fact, you were born with “Fresh Eyes” and lived with them for quite some time.  So when did your vision start failing you and become distorted causing you to become disillusioned?  Was it when you were rejected, abandoned, hurt, or broken?  Was it when you started closing your heart so you would not have to feel the pain?  Could the closing of your heart cause you to close your eyes?  If so, with each hurt, you moved further and further away from “home,” from the truth, from you.  The paradox to finding your way back is found in the cracks that the pain, the hurt and the brokenness caused.  If you look closely with “Fresh Eyes,” the cracks allow light to shine through.  This helps to direct you back.  And you learn that all belongs.

And you learn to bless each crack and opening for if not for these fractures, you would be forever lost in your ego and discard the gift of “Fresh Eyes.”

Eve, it sounds like your eyes are opening up and you are seeing with “Fresh Eyes.”  Like all things, the past may pull you back.  Staying on the path of truth will require you to embrace that “You are loved for all of who you are and all of who you are not”.  Standing naked in this truth will set you free and continue to light the way toward home, toward truth and toward you where you ultimately will be able to see all of life’s beauty with “Fresh Eyes.”

As someone once, said “Wine gives you truth, beer gives you freedom and water gives you bacteria.”  I think it’s time for a little wine.

Grace