My Father’s Eyes
Years ago, one of the first big hits in the new field of contemporary Christian music was a song by Amy Grant called “Fathers Eyes.” It was a play on words where a young girl sings about having her Father’s eyes. This had a double meaning in the song. First, it meant that those who looked at her couldn’t help but see her father because of her resemblance to Him. Second (and more importantly) it meant that she resembled Him because of how she chose to see things when looking at others. So…… How do we see others?
The world’s standard is easily stated: They see people based on their worth or benefit to them. Are people wealthy, intelligent, charming, popular or cool? Do they follow the latest trends or speak the latest lingo? Can they help someone get ahead? If so, they have worth. But, if some personal benefit can’t be gained from having them around, they are something to be discarded on the dump heap like useless rags.
God’s ways are not the world’s ways. His ways are higher. If we really want to be like our Lord, we need to live by this higher standard. People are valuable not because of what they’re worth to us but because of what they’re worth to God. How can we know what a person is worth to God? Just look at the price He paid for them! It doesn’t matter where they work, what they drive, or how they look. God paid it all at Calvary just to give them a way into His family. Our loving Lord has never lost sight of why He created every single one of us.
We don’t have to live the way the world lives. We shouldn’t blindly overlook where they’re headed. And, we must NEVER go along with sin. How could we? Our nature is changed!! However, for the person stuck in their sins, we must understand and have love. But for the grace of God, we’d still be trapped right where they’re at. We must look on them with compassion and be moved to help them. We should look for opportunities to love them and bring them into the family of God. We should always try to look at people and imagine what they look like through Jesus’ eyes. Ask the Holy Spirit to give us a vision of what they’d be like saved, with no doubt, no fear, and no hell in their future. See them as future family.
See them set free.
Remember, God envisioned us that way long before we accepted Him. We also had Sunday school teachers, youth pastors, ministers, family and who knows how many others along the way who chose (through the eyes of love) to believe with God and see who we could be instead of what we were. Thank you all.
Our Father’s eyes are merciful, gracious, caring and were able to see The Way out for us when there seemed to be no way. Let our prayer be for the Holy Spirit to give us new eyes and for the lost to see the family resemblance and be drawn in by it.
And when you're called to stand and tell just what you saw in me, More than anything I know, I want your words to be,
She had her Father's eyes….