More on Seeing

And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NAS, Mark 12:28-31)

I like to think I am not a very judgmental person, which of course is not true because I make judgments big and small all day long, but I try to temper my thoughts with constant remembrance of where God saved me from. I think we all have hot spots though, things about other people that drive us crazy. Often, without knowing someone's story at all, I know I make conclusions about why they are behaving a certain way, and it sticks under my skin and eats away at me.

Our neighbors to the right of us drive me nuts. I don't know the details of their familial relationship, but I know the older lady who lives there is the mother of the adult son who lives there with his two children, Ava and Buddy. There are other "girlfriends" who filter in and out, none of which I can determine is a mother to the two kids. Delaney and Ava are almost exactly the same age and every time we get home from somewhere or are outside the little girl asks if they can play. Well, those of you who know Dan and I know we are super careful about who watches our kids, who they play with, safety outdoors, and on and on. I had pretty much dodged the situation for the most part and then I hear through an open window Ava yelling at her little brother, "Get over here, @#%! head," and my mind was made up once and for all the girls were not going to be "friends".

The thing that most peeves me about the situation is the adult father who does not appear to work at all. The yard is a mess. The trash is left out BESIDE the cans so an animal rips them open making a mess. The kids always look disheveled, and he goes to get fast food seemingly every meal to bring back to them. The older lady is clearly not in good health and still works and hobbles in and out, trying her best to make a home for the kids. I have a HUGE problem with lazy and this is my judgment of the dad.

I have prayed about the situation and my heart, because it's a classic example of how I could be a missionary right where God has me, but I don't even know how to reach out of my Pottery Barn, Clorox wipe existence even far enough to touch a neighbor. So, last Sunday I see a bus pull up from a Nazerene church and the two little kids run out and jump on by themselves. Did the grandma send them? Was she a Christian and trying to influence her grandchildren for Christ? Why had I never invited them to our church? How do I even do that?

I thought back to my childhood. We lived in what seemed like a fine neighborhood, but I now know it was pretty close to "the tracks." There was some kids in our neighborhood who were very rough, especially two girls, Darby and Shelly, who lived in a little house down the street. I think their mom worked and their dad was an alcoholic. I know there was a guy, Tim, in the neighborhood who would go in their house when they were there alone, and I know he took advantage of them. My mom had a rule, the kids could play in our yard as long as they didn't take God's name in vain or use bad language. Somehow, poor as we were, she always found another peanut butter and jelly sandwich for any one who straggled over and looking back I see our house as the shining light to the kids who had never had a front porch swing where a mom just sat and talked with them and made homemade chocolate chip cookies and taught them cat's cradle.

I need new eyes. I need to see EVERYONE as a soul. I need to step outside my comfort zone and show God's love in practical ways to those He brings into my life day to day. I have been listening to Brandon Heath's song Give Me Your Eyes. This is my prayer today.

Looked down from a broken sky.
Traced out by the city of lights.
My world from a mile high.
Best seat in the house tonight.
Touch down on the cold black-top.
Hold on for the sudden stop.
Breathe in the familiar shock of confusion and chaos.
All those people goin somewhere, why have I never cared.

Give me your eyes for just one second,
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.


Step out on the busy street.
See a girl and our eyes meet.
Does her best to smile at me.
To hide what's underneath.
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie.
Too ashamed to tell his wife he's out of work, he's buyin time.
All those people goin somewhere, why have I never cared.

Give me your eyes for just one second,
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give me your love for humanity.
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.

I've been there a million times.
A couple million lives.
Just movin past me by, I swear I never thought that I was wrong.
But I wanna second glance so give me a second chance to see the way you've seen the people all along.

Give me your eyes for just one second,
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give me your love for humanity.
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.


Give me your eyes for just one second,
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah