Open My Eyes, LORD

OPEN MY EYES, LORD

Jesus spoke of people having eyes but not seeing. I had an experience recently that illustrated how that can happen.

I was in a grocery store waiting for my wife. I was just standing still between the frozen food section and the checkout registers. As I stood there I noticed a bird which had come in through the open door. It wanted out but couldn't find the way, so it was swooping from one end of the store to the other. Round and round it went, up above the shelves stacked with food and the aisles filled with people.

I watched the bird for a while, until I tired of the activity. As I continued to wait, I looked down and saw a mouse scurrying along the floor by a frozen food cabinet. While I watched, it went into an opening at the bottom of the case. I looked down at the cabinet nearest where I was, and to my surprise saw another mouse which did just like the first!

Now I was amazed to see a bird flying around and around in that store. I think I was even more amazed to see two mice scurrying around in broad daylight with people all around. But the thing that really amazed me is that I was the only one who seemed aware of either event!

While I was standing there observing the bird and the mice, dozens of other people were milling around. There were shoppers, intent on buying their groceries and getting home. There were stock clerks putting groceries on the shelves. There were people standing in line waiting to check out. There were checkers and sackers at the checkout registers. But not a single one of them looked up to see the bird or down to see the mice.

Why was I apparently the only one who saw the bird and mice? It was not because I am smarter or can see better. It is because I was standing still with my eyes open. Had others done the same, they could have seen them also.

There are many wonders in God's Word and world which few people see because we don't take the time to stand still and look. We so often rush around with our eyes on things that may not matter, and in so doing we may miss the wonder.

Life is too short to miss the wonder. "Slow me down, Lord, and open my eyes."

(From "The Scribe" - Vol. 4 No. 3 - June 1995)