With the Eyes of Your Heart

Octavio Ocampo is an artist from Mexico who paints in what he calls a "metamorphic" style. What this means is that he superimposes and juxtaposes images within the painting that he is creating. Here is a good example of his artistic skill:

What do you see? Most people look at it and see an elderly couple. But as you begin to make out the detail you will find a young couple in the center of the picture. Ocampo painted the older couple seeing each other as they were when they were much younger. You can even look into the older man's mind and notice how he carries his chosen as a beautiful young woman standing in a doorway. You might say that this couple is looking at each other with the eyes of their hearts.

The Apostle Paul informs the church in Ephesus that he is praying for them. He says, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened." (Ephesians 1:18) The reason for this is so the people could fully understand all that they have in Christ; the hope and the wonderful spiritual riches. These are things that we cannot see with just the eyes of our mind, but things that will become clear when we learn how to see with the eyes of our heart.

I have a feeling that we probably miss a great deal of what Jesus might be doing in our lives because we do not see well with the eyes of our heart. We have not developed the spiritual vision to capture the truly wonderful things all around us that our Lord is doing on our behalf.

Paul's prayer should become our prayer. We would be so greatly blessed if we would only be able to better see the ways in which God is working all around us giving us hope and assuring us of his loving care.