Through the Eyes of Love

In June my sister and brother-in-law brought our three adorable great nieces to visit with us. We had a wonderful visit. Our three youngest children had never met their cousins before but after a few hours, they all were the best of friends. Gwyneth, Reagan, and Sloane instantly found a place in our hearts that will last forever. We are already trying to work out another Arizona/Wisconsin connection.
Our time together created so many memories, laughter, and stories. One of these memories is of Reagan making a heart with her fingers and holding her hands in front of her eyes while saying, “I only see you through the eyes of love”.  Of course I think of them and miss them each and every day. While I was thinking about the girls this morning I thought of Reagan and her “eyes of love” comment.  I began to wonder what our lives and relationships would be like if we chose to only see the ones near and dear to us “through the eyes of love”. How many silly irritations could we easily overlook?  Instead of continually asserting our rights could we have a “no, please, you first” attitude? What does the view look like “through the eyes of love”? I think 1 Corinthians 13 paints a clear picture for us.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
As always, when I have one of these “ah ha” moments, the Lord immediately provides opportunity for me to put into practice what I am learning. This afternoon the kids were helping me clean the house.  Work was being accomplished but not without some silliness. At one point I was growing irritated and almost told them to get serious. Then I remembered that love is patient and not easily angered. It took a little longer, but everything got done and we had fun doing it.
Seeing the ones you love through the eyes of love isn’t always easy. For me, it took a conscious effort to change the way I viewed the situation. It was rather like putting on glasses and having your vision corrected. His vision is always 20/20. My prayer today and in the days to come is that I will view others “through the eyes of love”. 

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