I Became in His Eyes
Photo by Timotheus Fröbel
Something about the look in your eyes
Unlocks a part of me inside
Have you ever been gazed upon with a look of true, loving tenderness?
I recently was with a friend and noticed something about the way he looked at me. It was a look that went a bit deeper than usual. A look of delight. The words above came to mind.
Knowing we are delighted in calls forth a part of us deep inside that wants to open itself and spring forth in a self-gift. When you know your worth, you come in contact with your ability to give because you realize that you have something to offer.
Sometimes we go through our day-to-day lives unaware of the loving gaze of God upon us. Often we have false perceptions of how He looks at us. Perhaps we think He looks at us in condemnation or maybe we relate to Him out of fear. We walk around with blurred vision. These false perceptions need to be wiped away as if smudges of dirt on the glasses we wear.
A simple look from another can be the cleansing we need for our vision, but are there times when we do not allow ourselves to receive that gaze, be it from another person or God Himself?
Wounds from past relationships can lead us to build up walls of defense mechanisms. We may try to shield ourselves in disbelief as an attempt to protect our hearts. If we struggle to trust the one who would delight in us, it is difficult to let our guards down enough to let love in.
But we were not made to stay in the shadows of fear. We were made to be delighted in–not on a purely superficial, physical level–but to be entirely and completely delighted in, to the depths of our being. And out of receiving this delight, flows a natural desire to give the gift of self. Going back to Genesis, we see that the first thing Adam did when he saw Eve was to delight in her. What followed was the two becoming one flesh in a total gift of self to the other.
What would your life look like if you truly allowed yourself to be delighted in and to know your worth? We can come up with reasons why God does not look at us with delight, but they are false. The famous Christmas song, “O Holy Night,” puts it well: “Long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.” If the Father thought it was worth it to send His only Son to die for the sake of His children who had gone astray, you can be assured that He looks at you with delight, despite whatever reasons you may think otherwise.
I challenge you to think about the parts of your heart that squirm at the idea of being delighted in. Go there, with the Lord, and ask Him to shine His face upon those areas to receive healing in your identity, in your own goodness and belovedness…because you are a delight. Practically, allow yourself to be delighted in by others, be it a friend or significant other or even a stranger. When they smile, don’t look away in discomfort. Receive their delight in truth. You are worthy of it. After all, to acknowledge that you are a delight is a praise to the Creator.
Scripture for Reflection
“When he brought her to the man, the man said: ‘This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.” (Genesis 2:23-25)
“Beneath the apple tree I awakened you…I became in his eyes as one who brings peace” (Song of Songs 8:5, 10)
“Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadows of your wings” (Psalm 17:8)
