Give Me Your Eyes

A month or so ago I was driving down the road listening to the radio... not an unusual pasttime for me and this song came on the radio... And it spoke to me... It has become one of my favorite songs. It is by Brandon Heath and the name of the song is "Give Me Your Eyes". It expresses the thoughts that have been going through my head so eloquently.






"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 tile
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
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
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 whats underneath
Theres 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
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
yeah yeah yeah yeah

I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes just move and pass 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 alone

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
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
yeah yeah yeah yeah

The words of this song speak to me... urging me to open up my eyes and really look at those around me... not through them or over them... but to really look at them and to see them as God sees them... with love and mercy... how He sees me...Please Lord, help me to see everyone with Your eyes and to love them the way you love me"

Give Thanks to the Lord

Give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever.....

This song has been running through my head all day. As I lay quietly in my bed tonight I began to really think about the words to this song. Music has always been a way for me to express my emotions, which is rather strange since I am not at all musically inclined. I play no musical instrument(other than the radio or cd player) and though I try my best to sing on key more often than not I'm just a fraction or more off, but the words in different songs always speak to me. I am constantly in awe of people who write songs, people who can sing songs on key, and people who play musical instruments. Today the words to this song and hearing it sung so beautifully by human voices was so awe inspiring that it struck me harder than usual so that I really paid attention to the words as we lifted the song up to the Lord. It's not an unusual song for us to sing during a worship service or even a new song I've just learned, but for some reason the words struck a chord with me today. As I lay in bed a few minutes ago I began to think about how easy it is to accept giving thanks to the Lord, but how difficult it is to believe His love endures forever!

The dictionary defines the word forever as "for eternity; for always; endlessly, at all times; always" This is such a hard concept for my small brain to accept...eternity? I have a hard time with tomorrow... for always? really? even in my most difficult times? endlessly? I can't even imagine something with no end... at all times? even when I sin? even when I am not loving towards others? even when I'm at my worst? ALWAYS? I think the reason I have such a hard time with this concept is because I struggle with loving those in my life always. It is so hard as a human to understand that God loves me no matter what. Because I have a hard time continuing to love those in my life who are at times difficult. And since I know that the Lord knows I am difficult most of the time, it's hard for me to accept that He loves me always. It's an issue that I have struggled with for a long time. I think at times I even challenged God by behaving badly... tested Him you might say... to see if what He says is really true... Hey Lord watch this... can you love me after this? I seem to say...

Each day I struggle with accepting that He does love me, that He will love me and that He will always love me. And that all He asks in return is that I love Him, that I believe in Him and that I strive daily to do His will. That He loved me enough to send His only Son to die on a cross for me is so humbling and challenges me to love those in my life that I find it difficult to love or even be in the same room with. I pray that as I go through the days ahead of me that I will take each moment as it comes and for that moment I will attempt to love those whom God places in my path... I know it won't come easily but I pray that He will open my eyes to those around me that I might open my heart for a moment and love that person the way God loves me.. and even though I don't understand the concept of forever.. I can try to love that person in that moment the same way that God loves me eternally.