God’s Masterpiece: God’s Eyes are Precious

by Pastor Daniel

Hello Friends,

How are you doing today? Were you able to enjoy the beautiful weather that God blessed us with this past week? I was able to sneak out of the office for a few hours, enough time to soak up some rays and breathe the fresh air. It was truly refreshing, especially after last week. I am not ready for Fall quite yet, but this weather is slowly changing my mind! How about you, are you ready for Fall?

Today, I want to talk to you about eyes! Our eyes are truly works of art! They bring to life what we see in our mind. They help us witness what God created at the beginning of time. They are the second most complex part of our body—only surpassed in complexity by the brain. Our eyes are truly works of art and wonderment! When was the last time you pondered anything about your eyes? Here are some facts about our eyes according to www.selecthealth.org: the average blink is one tenth of a second, an average person blinks 5.2 million times per year—17 times per minute, 1,020 times per hour, 12,240 times within twelve hours—only one sixth of the eye is exposed to the human world, eyes manage 80% of all information you will ever take in, an eye has more than 2,000,000 working parts and 256 unique traits—your fingerprint contains only 40 unique traits—and lastly, there are six different distinct eye colors—amber (5%), blue (8-10%), brown (70-80%), gray (3%), green (2%), hazel (5%), and red/violet. So, like I said earlier, our eyes are truly works of art and they say so much about who we are: they tell a story.

Knowing a little bit about your eyes, have you ever wondered what the eyes of Christ might look like? Or even what the eyes of God look like? Are they circular or oval or almond shaped? What color are they: blue, brown, green, grey, or hazel? Are they far apart or are they close together? Are they small or large or somewhere in the middle? Have you ever wondered what the eyes of Christ or God look like? In 1940, Warner Sallman painted the famous painting of “The Head of Christ” that many people and churches have somewhere in their house or buildings: Jesus is portrayed with brown long-flowing hair with a beard and brown eyes—a mirror image of the majority. Then in 2002, Akiane Kramarik, an eight-year-old Russian atheist at the time, painted Jesus with curly-messy short-brown hair with a beard and green eyes—a mirror image of the minority. People for many generations have been trying to depict the eyes of our Creator and Savior. We can only image what their eyes look like, but we do know what they are capable of seeing.

When thinking about the eyes of God, I want you to remember one thing: God’s eyes are precious. What do I mean by that? I mean that God has loving, kind, and compassionate eyes: eyes that render grace and forgiveness, eyes that see you when you are crying or laughing, eyes that see you when you are hurting or being healed, eyes that see your ups and downs, eyes that care for you and protect you, and eyes that see you for who God created you to be. God’s eyes aren’t scary, but loving, kind, and precious.

We see this when Jesus speaks with Nathanael in John 1:47-51, where we read, “When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’ ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” Jesus knew and cared about Nathanael before Nathanael knew about Him, just like he knows and cares about you each and every day.

We see this same level of caring in the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we read , “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the entire earth to strengthen those whose heart is true to him.” God is always looking for people whose hearts are loyal so that He might bless them and love them and care for them. David prayed in the  psalms, “Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings…” (Psalm 17:8). David knew that the very sparkle in God’s eye revealed the divine love that was upon him—a love of acceptance and not judgment. God’s precious eyes see what we have done, but they have also seen where we are going and what we seek in this life: forgiveness and repentance.

Another way to think about God’s precious eyes is through the following example. I read about a man who told his friend that he saw spots before his eyes. His friend asked, “Have you seen a doctor?” The troubled man answered, “No, I haven’t seen a doctor, only spots.” Let me tell you that God does not see any spots before His eyes. His vision is clear and everything and everyone is open before Him. God does not see spots, but sees who and what He has created. And if God can see past our spots, our sins, our mistakes, our wrongdoings, then shouldn’t we be willing to do the same for others in our life: to not hinge on their sins but to see them for whom they really are. Life is too short. We must pray now to see this world through the eyes of God and not our own. The precious eyes of God remind us that God loves us and cares for us.

I encourage you to remember that God’s eyes are precious, like your mom and dad’s eyes. God’s eyes are filled with love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, things we need every day to be who God has called us to be. So, what do you think about when you think about God’s eyes?

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, help us to see the world through your eyes. Help us to have eyes that are precious and loving and kind. Help us to become more like you every day. Amen.

Your Friend, Holy Spirit

Pastor Daniel