Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, I Want to See You!

“I am an invisible man...I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. . .Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a bio-chemical accident to my epidermis (and I add social location). That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either. It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves. Then too, you're constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision. Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren't simply a phantom in other people's minds.” Prologue to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you!”

Do we really want to see God? Do we want to see Jesus? We intimate that as true; yet, we avoid even negate the existence of folks with whom we are unfamiliar or uncomfortable. When our nostrils are repulsed, we refuse to allow our emotions to sense and identify with the person emanating the insulting fragrance.  Jesus followers profess like the Apostle Peter, “. . .to see clearly that God shows no favoritism” (Acts 10:34) but our acts of omission implicitly betray our profession.  

How can we develop intricate strategies ensuring we avert certain neighborhoods and people groups? We convince ourselves these practices are mere safeguards for our own well-being. Can I offer a contrarian thought?

Refusal to acknowledge the humanity of another is an act of terrorism!

Denial of the God breathed life pulsating through another is violent, destructive and crippling. Can you imagine, doubting if you really exist? Intricately and sensitively created, all human beings can discern if their presence is welcomed or rejected. Being a Black male navigating a racialized culture which openly rejects opaque epidermises, I have an acute awareness of the detriment which follows devalued, overlooked and unseen persons. My determination is for all people to experience their God-given human worth and for all people to be afforded dignity as God created beings.

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you!”

Marcus and Joshua, today we are serving a community where people for reasons unknown to us may or may not have the same luxuries or the same accesses to shelter, quality education, food, freedom, safety, etc. as you BUT you aren’t better than, superior to or worse or less than any of the people you will serve today.

Me: Do you understand?

M & J: Yes sir!

Me: Okay, so when you hand her/him their bag, look into their eyes, greet them politely and shake the hand of the person with whom you are sharing space. Do you know why this is important? Long silence. Lil fellas, the same God that loves and created you, loves and created all people. If you enter a room or are around people, would you want to be rejected or welcomed?

M & J: Welcomed of course!

Me: Exactly, all people feel like people when they are welcomed, that’s why you need to look into the eyes of each person, politely greet folks and shake hands.

This conversation aroused a fear that my children might succumb to their middle-class privilege and private school experiences and knowingly or unknowingly practice acts of terrorism like blindness, insensitivity and/or have a desensitization toward difference. Thus with age appropriate language I fervently teach my sons that devaluing, overlooking or the ignoring of another human being is to wage war against God, ourselves and others in whom God breathed life. 

My prayer is their/our hearts and minds are constantly affixed on and aware that from an inexplicable depth of Love, God created all people in God's own image without favoritism toward any of us. Additionally, I John 4:20 provides this instruction, "....if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?"        

Perhaps our challenge isn't loving, perhaps our challenge is seeing!!

Oh Lord, open the eyes of our hearts so that we SEE ALL PEOPLE!!!

INSPIRED BY LOVE,

Pastor Marcus