In a follow up to my previous hub, What Would You Do? What Would Jesus Do?, I would like to recommend the words of this song by Brandon Heath.

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Give Me Your Eyes

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
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
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 a 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 buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Chorus
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
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 of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

Chorus (x2)
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
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

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Jesus tells us in the scripture that we are to treat others the way we desire to be treated. I think today the "Golden Rule" has become so cliched we've forgotten what that means. I think it's safe to say that most human beings have an innate desire to be treated with kindness, respect, and love as we go about our daily lives, but in our sinful nature it's easy to become selfish. Sure we want those things for ourselves but it becomes to much trouble as the pace of life gets faster, or things become personally difficult to realize the blessing comes not in the recieving but in the giving.

Have you ever gone to a store after work when your tired, running late, and want nothing more than to go home? I have. It always seems in those times when our tempers are short, nerves frayed...that is when we have the greatest opportunity to show compassion to another human being who is very likely experiencing something similar. The lady with the screaming kid and a cart full of groceries. The annoyed looking man in a business suit who cuts your off as you move into a check out lane. The young man or woman behind the cash register, most likely not being paid a great wage and trying to make ends meet like the rest of us.

Have you looked at their faces? Have you tried to meet their eyes and give them a reassuring smile? Have you shook your head in sympathy for the mom or ignored the offense by the man who cut you off, rather than mutter curse words under your breath?

Each one of us has a story. Every face we see, every person we encounter has a life of struggle and pain to go along with every happy birthday or ordinary experience. Do we see them as individuals? Do we see them?

I admit I don't. I do not always see or even bother to consider what may be going on with that person in front or beside me. Wrapped up in my own life, the lives of my husband, my kids, the day to day struggles I live in an insular buble...but I should see them.

I should recognize my neighbor.

I should see the young person behind the cash register and smile.

I should have patience with the mother or father struggling with a cranky child.

I should offer a word of kindness to the stranger who cuts me off because maybe they are having a bad day.

I should speak to the homeless person on the street.

My prayer today is that which is so eloquently requested of God in Brandon Heath's song...

"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
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see"

Amen