LIFT MY EYES

When a parent looks into his child’s eyes, something extremely powerful happens.

The child takes in the gaze of his parent. He can tell even as an infant how the parent feels

about him. Studies show that children are encouraged to grow in the direction of their parents’

love. If a child is told he is smart, a seed is planted pushing the child in that direction. And

unfortunately the opposite is true- when a child is told he is not up to speed, it often leads to

discouragement and the child often develops a negative self-image. Children, at least initially,

trust their parent’s gaze and believe what it conveys to be true.

We believe that when God looks on us, he doesn’t see us stained with sin. When we surrender

our lives to Him, we become new creations. He sees Jesus when He looks on us. We return the

gaze of God and know who we are and become more like Him.

As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we

might become the righteousness of God.”

God believes in us far more than we believe in ourselves. And we are far too often more

concerned about the gaze of others than that of God.

May our eyes be set on Christ. May we give no attention to the voices that attempt to paint

distorted images of ourselves. May He lift our eyes that we may see ourselves as God sees us.

And may we respond with praise and thanksgiving.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that

you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

-1 Peter 2:9