Eyes On Perspective

I’ve been thinking about my eyes.  An odd topic but it seems to keep coming up in one way or another.  It started with my children asking about from whom they each got their eye color.  Which led to questions about how the baby gets Daddy’s traits when the baby is in Mommy’s tummy.  Ummmm....  Ack.  I am not ready to have that conversation with them but how do I answer their question without talking about sex?!  So, we discussed genes.  Dodged it nicely but then realized it is probably about time for that conversation with at least one of them.  Uggh.  

Anyway, the topic of eyes came up again when I read “A Sermon on Hacking Off Our Own Limbs for Jesus” by Nadia Bolz-Weber.  The scripture was the one about plucking out your eye if it causes you to sin.  

My eyes do sometimes lead me to sin.  I have blue eyes which I think are one of my better looking features thus leading me sometimes to the sin of vanity.  On the other hand, they are also nearsighted eyes.  I do not enjoy wearing glasses (contacts bother my eyes and I’m too chicken for surgery).  They get in the way when I am trying to do things like play sports or wrestle with my children.  They get dirty and scratched.  They are a royal pain when it rains.  So, my glasses often lead me to reflect upon heaven.  Surely I won’t have to wear these things in heaven.  

I also have a fierce independent and self-sufficiency streak which my glasses, courtesy of my nearsighted eyes, help quash.  I like to think of myself as strong and resourceful and not overly dependent upon modern conveniences.  I get a little haughty in that direction and then my glasses remind me “yeah right, take away this modern convenience and you will immediately walk into a tree.”

But, I do see well enough to find much beauty in the world.  The amazing fall colors are breathtaking this year.  The squirrel who was cussing out my dog took adorableness to a whole new level.  The dog is pretty wonderful herself.  My children’s beauty inside and out takes my breath away daily.  The beauty of nature, the beauty of human kindness,  the beauty of hope, the beauty of mystery.... there is much beauty to see if we open our eyes to it.  

Which leads me to perspective.  Lately I have wondered about perspective. I just watched a video, "On Real Beauty", which showed pictures of uniquely beautiful women while flashing up inspiring statements like, “to remain youthful, never stop looking for the wonderful.”  Perspective is absolutely important.  Yet I have wondered lately at how fickle it can be.  One moment my perspective leads me to feel I am surrounded by beauty if only I could be more aware and open my eyes to it.  The next moment I feel I am surrounded by darkness and need to take in every scrap of beauty I can find so I have something to which I can cling.  Perhaps whether beauty is rare or abundant is beside the point as long as we keep looking for it.

May you find your day to be full of the beautiful, 

         the wonderful, 

           the hopeful. 

by Sheri Ellwood