For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)
A friend complained when she went to talk to someone about an important issue that person moved around the room, straightening shelves and countertops instead of sitting down and focusing on what she was saying. She said, “I just wish she would have looked me in the eye when I was talking to her. Then, I would have known that she was listening.” Uh, oh. I am often guilty of doing the same thing. I don’t like to sit still so flit around carrying on a conversation, but multitasking at the same time. I rarely take the opportunity to look into someone’s eyes, which often reflect what they are really feeling far beyond what words convey. My husband and I started taking ballroom dance lessons. It is quite a stretch for my tall, 50 something husband who is more comfortable under the hood of a car than twirling his wife around a dance floor. He wasn’t too happy at the prospect, but gamely listened and followed directions as we maneuvered through the waltz, foxtrot, rumba, and cha-cha. While the steps are tricky and the rhythms sometime difficult to follow, for me, the hardest part is prolonged focus on my husband’s eyes. When we dance together, we are not to look down at our feet. We are supposed to gaze into each other’s eyes. I had not realized how long it had been since I had looked my husband in the face. We rush around, from one thing to another, passing like two ships in the night. To stare at him for two hours was an odd sensation, but as the night continued, I felt more and more comfortable. I also grew closer to him when class was over. It was as though in fixing my eyes upon him, our marriage deepened and strengthened. The same thing can happen in our relationship with God. Often we are distracted by our circumstances, both good and bad. Our problems can take our mind off of God, but so can our blessings as we get caught up in the things of this world. We put our eyes on people, things, and events, things that are temporary. But, in these verses, we are reminded to keep our focus on God and things that are eternal. Those are not what we can see with our human eyes, but what we look for with our spiritual eyes. Miracles great and small show us God at work in this world. The beauty of creation points to him as well. Love shining brightly out of the eyes of a fellow believer is evidence as well. My husband is not God, but I can see God at work in his life and in our relationship. It reminds me of what is really important. Take the time to look deeply in the eyes of the people God puts in your path to love. Don’t forget to fix your eyes on God as well. Only He is eternal. Only He will last.
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