A Story in Your Eyes

As I left for a bike ride not long ago, I turned my iPod to "shuffle" and asked God to order the songs in whatever way He thought best.  Shortly into the ride, I heard "there's a story in my eyes" from the voice of Survior singing in my ears.  It got me thinking about the story in my own eyes.  What did it say and how does it read?  Do I notice the story in others' eyes when I look at them?  What do any of us really see when we look into someone else's eyes, or do we not look long enough to see even the color? Can our eyes really speak a thousand words? Or, are they just a pretty shade of blue, brown, or green? The truth is - yes, they can speak a thousand words and many more, but how do we read one's story?  More importantly, what is the story in your own eyes, and is it still being written or have you signed off on it as finished?
Have you ever engaged in conversation with someone who speaks so enthusiastically about his cause that you actually see a sparkle radiate from both of his eyes?  What about the child who wont look at you when you speak?  She keeps her head bowed when she talks, but if you're blessed enough to lock eyes with her for even a second, you see the pain and sorrow that actually seems to talk through her eyes and expression.  When was the last time any of us stopped to really search another's eyes?  What about our own?  Have you ever just looked in the mirror and studied what your own eyes project? Try it sometime.  Give yourself a full 60 seconds or more of just staring into your own eyes as you come face to face with a mirror.  Or, are you too disgusted to look for so long?  Regardless of how your own reflection makes you feel, you are never more precious and beautiful in God's eyes than when you're broken, poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), and hopelessly dependant upon Him.  He didn't make mistakes when He made you or me.  He knew exactly what He was getting and He still wants us - just as we are. 

After you've given yourself a full 60 seconds of staring back at yourself in the mirror, try to take a look at the story that is printed in your eyes.  Don't let your eyes wander across the area of your face. Gaze only into your own eyes. Do you see anything more than a  color staring back at you?  I have brown eyes, but do you know what else I see?  I see a past that is both happy and painful, but I see a future that is slightly unpredictable, and extremely exciting.  I can't help that I can look back into my past and see a traumatized girl after a rape.  I can't help that I can look back and see nights of drunken and drug induced partying.  I can't help that I can look back and see the blood stained interior of my car after a should have been fatal accident.  I can't help that I can look back and see the tears running down my face as I shrunk away into a corner while plagued with an irrational fear of impending death.  I can't help that I can look back and see days and nights when I didn't know whether or not my son would live through the night.  The list goes on.  I can see a lot of painful things from my past - if that's what I'm trying to see. 

Don't get stuck in the story of your past.  Keep writing.  Keep moving forward and re-creating your days.  Every morning that we wake up is a new day and gift from God.  To keep writing what you wrote yesterday is to keep yourself in bondage to a pain that isn't from God.  Let your eyes tell a new story.  If you're not sure how to even do that because the pain you're experiencing is so severe, then ask God to help you take your first step.  You're never more blessed than when you're at His feet admitting you can't do it on your own.  He can turn your pain into healing and your darkness into light.  We have to do our part though.  Just like one bad decision can send you to prison for life without parole, a single good decision can completely alter the course of your life for the better.  We write our stories one decision at a time. 

Let the story in your eyes be a shining reflection of one good decision after the other and don't think that any amount of pain is too great for God to turn into healing!  Don't write your story off as finished; write it as just beginning!  May God bless you all!


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