1 a: to perceive by the eye b: to perceive or detect as if by sight
2 a: to have experience of : undergo (see army service) b: to come to know : discover
3 a: to form a mental picture of : visualize (can still see her as she was years ago) b: to perceive the meaning or importance of : understand c: to be aware of : recognize (sees only our faults) d: to imagine as a possibility : suppose (couldn't see him as a crook)
What does it mean to see? I take the gift of perceiving by the eye for granted, but what would my life be like if I truly saw (discovered, visualized, understood, recognized) God, myself, others?
GOD: Would truly seeing God totally change the way I see others and myself or is it arrogance to think that seeing him would let me see like him? What filters do I put over my eyes before looking at God? What parts of his character do I not see - not because they aren't there, but because I don't want to see them?
MYSELF: How does a focus on who I am not make me miss who I am? A quote I read today said, "My self-perception is as accurate as a carnival mirror." J laughingly said he sees himself in the thin mirror, but I think I see myself in the fat one, with all of my flaws enormously magnified. It's hard to get enough distance to see myself authentically, not through the lens of knowing my own heart and its depravities.
OTHERS: How does how I see myself hinder the way I see others? Do I let my fears about who I am (see MISFIT) prevent me from taking a long look at others to see who they really are? Isn't there a whole range between perceiving someone with my eyes and understanding them as a person? Do I let my insecurities keep me from going beyond that first, superficial level?
What glasses do I have on that I need to take off? What glasses do I need to put on? How can I take off the glasses to truly see? I want to do that, but it sounds a lot like jumping without a parachute.
3 comments:
In Sunday School a few Sundays ago, we were discussing whether Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain was a miracle of the flesh or of the eye. As in did Jesus' body actually become glowingly white or was it Peter's eyes which were suddenly opened to see Jesus' divinity. He was able to see Jesus for who He really was.
A man in the class shared his experience at a Sounds game where he suddenly saw everyone as beautiful - people he wouldn't normally think of in that way. He gave an example of an extremely obese woman whom he "saw" as a lovely little girl. (Saw with the heart.)
The whole discussion left me thinking about very similar issues discussed in your post!
Yes, I wonder how much of that was Peter seeing Christ's divinity fully. I've never thought about that. Oddly enough, one thing that contributes to my thoughts on this are a series of children's books about Percy Jackson, who is a Greek hero, but in modern times. The gods take on human form because mortals can't see their divine form and live.
I also like your reference to seeing with the heart since I've been thinking a lot about heart/head connections - or disconnects as the case may be.
What an awesome legacy you are leaving for your girls by your words (in the form of the letters and and the awesome Valentine's cards you made them). I actually thought about you a lot as I wrote my post. You're right that they might not appreciate the letters and cards as much now as they will in the future when a card with 6 things their mom loved about them will mean more than any amount of chocolate! I so appreciate your comments; they are always so thoughtful and interesting.
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