Everyday JoysSample

EYES THAT SEE

The words of Matthew 13:16 intrigue me: Blessed are your eyes because they see. Because what else are eyes made to do but see? Or could it be that “seeing” is about more than eyesight? Could it have less to do with my own myopic vision and more to do with my heart? Perhaps this kind of seeing is more about seeking and finding and trusting that the One who said He would always be with me really is here with me.

Are you like me? Do you struggle to see? Because there are days when, like Elisha’s servant, I feel surrounded. Remember Elisha’s servant? He’s the one who awoke one morning to an army of enemies. They surrounded him, and the sight of them filled his eyes until enemies were all he could see (2 Kings 6:13–17).

I can relate. Too often, I am surrounded. By distractions and busyness. By worries and cares. And even, occasionally, by an enemy or two. (Thankfully, they aren’t riding in chariots or carrying spears. Though that would make them easier to spot, wouldn’t it?) Mostly, though, I am surrounded by the ordinary and everyday things of this world until those things are all I can see. In those moments, I need to lift up the words of Elisha—the prayer that enabled his servant to see the “hills full of horses and chariots of fire” (v. 17) all around him:

Lord, open my eyes to see.

It’s a quiet prayer. Not fully voiced, but fully felt as I sit here in my chair with God’s Word open on my lap . . . and it is answered. Transforming the old grandfather clock quietly tick-tocking time away into a reminder of the Father of All Time. That mama cardinal fluttering at the feeder whispers to me of the One who taught her to fly. And the puppy snoring softly at my feet? He’s a fur-covered friend, gifted to me out of the infinite kindness of the One who chases away my loneliness.

If only I have eyes to see all the everyday blessings found here at the intersection of ordinary and divine.

Challenge: Pray Elisha’s prayer today and take note of all that God opens your eyes to see.