I felt my heart breaking in a bazillion pieces. Each shard of glass that fell pricked my soul, like tiny slivers stuck in one’s foot after stepping on a piece of rough wood. I couldn’t get them out, though I didn’t want to. Each little fragment cut me in a different way, reminding me there are many wounded souls suffering from the Fall.
For years I had struggled with empathy and had longed for a heart of flesh. A heart that extends compassion and unconditional love beyond any measure. A heart that seeks to save the lost. A heart that shares the Living Hope and the fullness of life. A heart that serves, and gives, and doesn’t ask for anything in return.
I would pray for the Lord to break my heart for the things that break His, but nothing would convict me or compel me into action.
“Give me Your eyes for just one second
Lyrics from the song “Give Me Your Eyes,” by Brandon Heath
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missin’
Give Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah”
But one day last February, I became overwhelmed by the weight of the world. The world appeared to be darker, harsher, eviler, and more corrupt every day. I felt helpless. Powerless. Incapable. So I prayed the prayer once again:
Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and the ability to discern truth from lies.
Be careful when you pray prayers like that. God can answer in a big way and your life can be changed forever. Mine was.
In that moment, the lens in which I viewed the world became clear and sharp. The light was turned on and the rawness of reality was revealed.
Things once buried or obstructed were now right in front of me, plain as day. Things that were hidden were also creeping forward, some things for the first time and others more hesitant because they had been slapped with shade in the past.
When eyes are down or focused straight ahead, we limit our ability to see what matters – the Creator and His creation.
Prior to 2020, I was preoccupied with my own selfishness to make time to consider the true injustices that plague the world let alone my country and my local community. I had no idea the amount of real evil, corruption, deceit, and mass sinfulness that existed in my own “backyard.” I had a feeling it was there but [up until that moment] had never paused to fully see it.
Seeing clearly, with eyes wide open and a heart completely softened propelled my faith forward in a motion that has not been able to stop. I can no longer hold back, sit down, or shut up when I’m witnessing evil all around me. When I know there’s a Hope that can heal and a Light that can penetrate. I want to shine that Light brightly, lead others to Truth, and breathe life back into the dead and dying.
It is possible to look at something yet never really see it. Conversely, you can overlook something and miss its point or purpose. You can also have a restricted view, a faulty prescription or blind spots that skew your vision.
But once you actually see you can never unsee. Seeing provokes emotion as well as a reaction – you are engaged by what you see and it causes you to respond with purpose and intent.
Do you see what is going on around you? Do you know where you are heading?
Or are you merely looking at what’s in front of you? Preoccupied or distracted as you walk through the steps of a self-centered life rather than travelling down the road that leads to life?
Too many people are blind to Truth (Isaiah 44:18), ignorantly accepting the prescription of their blurry worldview without asking questions and as a result are being led astray. There are also people who are worried about the speck in their neighbor’s eye without acknowledging the log stuck in their own (Matthew 7:3-5). And still, there are people too tired or fast asleep who are in dire need of a good face wash, a cup of caffeine, or anything, really, to awaken them from their daze or slumber.
All these individuals are wandering in the dark, aimlessly. They’re without a leader whom they trust, lacking a source of Light to guide their way, spiritual wisdom to discern truth from lies, and a 20/20 vision refined through a Kingdom perspective.
They may not know better, but you do.
I pray those who can see can have a faith that follows.
With eyes wide open you can witness the wonders of God giving sight to the blind, healing to the hurting, and hope to the hopeless. All who are lost can find their way back home.
“I will lead the blind on roads
they have never known;
I will guide them on paths
they have never traveled.
Their road is dark and rough,
but I will give light
to keep them from stumbling.
This is my solemn promise.”
Isaiah 42:16 (CEV)
