I have often heard the phrase "If you could just walk a mile in their shoes" and agree totally with that concept. But many times we pass people without seeing or knowing their path or even exchanging words to get an idea of what they are walking through. But their eyes....their eyes tell it all. The stress of a busy person. The pain of a person struggling with illness or death. The sadness of an unimaginable loss. The loneliness. The shame. The pride. The joy. All of it is there, we just have to look. Really take a moment and look.
This is something I strive to do with the children around me in Honduras. To recognize the looks in their eyes to know when & how to talk to them and most importantly ...how to pray for them. I try to see the situations from their viewpoint and pray specifically for the way they feel in context with the way they see a situation - past & present. It seems we can talk for hours - from our point of view - but if we don't understand where the person is coming from, we never truly connect in a way that can make a difference.
Apparently when something is heavy on your heart & mind in one country, God has a way of using it also as we cross those cultural boundaries. This week as I found myself surrounded by Christian mission & ministry leaders, I noticed something different...in their eyes. In the midst of talking and preaching and everyone trying to connect....I saw their eyes. God gave me glimpses of people who I love and respect from a different perspective. He reminded me I need to try to see things from their viewpoints as well and remember to pray for them in very specific ways. We are all struggling with something. We all need prayers. And those moments when you recognize something in the eyes of others and have no words...pray. Pray for them. Pray for their families. Pray for their ministries. Pray for those who have yet discovered God's purpose and path. I encountered many people his week. From the brave workers sacrificing their time to care for the children while others soaked up the sessions - to the interns & volunteers running around making it all work - to the speakers who brought us a wealth of knowledge - to those there to connect & learn - to the servers in the restaurants and the hotels. They all had a story. I pray that each one encountered someone who took a moment to look into their eyes and see things from their perspective.
It's always an adjustment going between two different cultures. But it seems some things aren't so different after all. No matter what color eyes I am looking into, God put me in front of that person -in that moment- for a purpose. I pray that I remember to put down my own plans long enough to see the eyes in front of me. That God gives me a glimpse and discernment of how to pray for them. And that even if they never know who I am, in one moment they may see Christ in me and be forever changed.
P.S. We have to put down our phones as well, in order to see who God has put in front of us. ;-)
SEE THEIR WORLD THROUGH THEIR EYES...
