Tag: see

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I see you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Acts 3.

“Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” (Acts 3:1-4)

I’ve had conversations with people who would not make eye contact with me. It was one-to-one conversation with people I knew well. Yet, they looked at the ground, to the side, and over my head. Anywhere but my eyes.

One of them knew I noticed. She said, “I never make eye contact. I don’t let anyone see inside of me.”

I avoid eye contact. I’ll bet you do, too. When I’m looking at someone, I look away as soon as they make eye contact with me. They do the same.

It’s a learned behavior. I say that because I’ve watched my youngest grandchildren. The twos and threes will stand there and look at someone with nothing but curiosity. In a few years, they will learn to avert their gaze.

Why?

It’s a powerful moment when Peter and John make contact with a beggar who cannot walk. It’s the last day someone will carry him to the temple gate. It’s the last day he’ll beg. It’s the first day in his life he’ll be able to walk.

What a day!

So I wondered, “What if I intentionally made eye contact with people?” What would happen if I kept looking rather than looking away? What if I smiled at them?

If I keep looking at them, they usually look away. If I look and smile, they usually smile back. Most often, they aren’t looking at me. They are talking to someone else, looking beyond me, or looking beyond me to where they are headed.

When Peter and John make eye contact with a lame man, they change his life. They give what they have: healing from Jesus!

Can I bring life to someone by making eye contact? I don’t know. But I’m going to make eye contact. They might look away. They might smile back. They might look past me to something else.

Or maybe I’ll make their day. They will know that someone sees them.

Posted in Life

A sensory God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Richárd Ecsedi on Unsplash

I was reading Psalm 115 this morning and I was struck by how interactive the Christian faith is. It is not just words on a page. It’s not just stories in a book. It’s not just images of biblical truths on t-shirts or coffee mugs. We experience the truths of the faith because God interacts with us in sensory ways.

The psalmist backs into this by describing idols made by human hands. They don’t say anything, see anything, hear anything, smell anything, feel anything or go anywhere. They are good for nothing. On the other hand, God does all of these things and more. That’s why we can trust him to help, protect, remember and bless us.

It’s not subtle. God is dramatically different than anything else you can fear, love, or trust.

  • He speaks. He speaks words that create life, hope, and peace. We know that all he has to do is say the word, and something happens.
  • He sees. He sees what’s going on in the world and in our lives. He looks into our hearts and see what we truly desire. He can also see what we ultimately trust.
  • He hears. He hears our complaints, laments, questions and cries for help. He hears our praise and thanksgiving. He hears every request, too.
  • He smells. Prayers and sacrifices wrapped in smoke are a pleasant aroma to him. The stink of death doesn’t deter him from giving us new life.
  • He feels. He feels the touch of the desperate who need healing, the worship of the thankful, and the pain of the nails that held him to the cross.
  • He walks. He walks through crowds, on top of the water, and up the hill to a cross.

Created in his image, we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel, too. If we’re paying attention, each of our senses connects us to the Creator. They give us sensory access to his divine power and nature.

So what did I see, hear, touch, smell, and taste today? And how did it remind me of my God, who is so much more than any idol I might craft in my mind or heart?