“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Matthew 6:22-24 (ESV)

It is said that the eye is the window to a person’s soul. The soul is the person that you are; not the outward perceived body. Not the genetic, inherited appearance that may or may not represent your family traits; but the inward person that determines you as – you. The eyes tell the true story of who you are.

Looking at people in the eye isn’t easy. Because words may come from the mouth, but the eyes can’t hide the truth. I have never been able to say things that I don’t truly meanwhile looking straight into the eyes of another.

Eyes seem to shout out what your lips are afraid to say, they cry out what you’re not saying, and indeed feeling. By looking at a person’s eyes, you are listening, not just hearing words.

Love, laughter, joy, sadness, guilt, meanness, anger, evil and distrust are all betrayed in the eyes. The truth of emotions, the light emitted, cannot be hidden in the eyes. The measure of considering the look in a person’s eyes enables you to hear what they are not saying, as they speak louder than any voice or words.
How and when to make eye contact depends entirely on the customs of where you are, who you are with, and the social setting.

Some cultures, for example, consider that making direct eye contact is aggressive, rude, or a show of disrespect. Other cultures, and some religious groups think eye contact between men and women inappropriate and either threatening or flirtatious.
In many Asian cultures, avoiding eye contact with a member of the opposite sex or a superior is a show of respect.

However, in western culture, making eye contact is not only seen as appropriate but is necessary for establishing yourself as an honest and open person.

Eye contact is a method of communication. A quick glance sends a different message than a cold stare – but both are forms of making eye contact. Depending upon the culture, setting, and person, the message you think you are sending may not be the one that is received.

Each person looks out at life from a different window but seeing the same world.

Depending on the time spent looking at things, taking in the focus of your attention, thinking about the implications, the meanings and reactions, all form your very being. Is it any wonder that God says that we should turn our eyes to Jesus and to his word to mold our souls and spirit, and seek his truth, righteousness, and forgiveness.

There is truth to be found by using eyes to really see.

In gazing at the soundness of your soul, you can learn to listen to a soul through your eyes. You can see all the ways the emotions and reactions to words, actions, and attitudes can have on a person’s life. These communicate the confessions and secrets of the heart.

Living in the dark brings blindness and confusion. Only when we’re brave enough to explore the darkness and see it for what it is, will we ever discover the infinite power of God’s light and love. Jesus said:
John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

God made us all to seek him and his truth. We are all wired to have human connection through his light. Light creates energy, and energy creates action, and action is our calling. It’s when we can give and receive without judgement, derive sustenance and strength from relationships, that we can truly know our purpose.

Each of us needs and wants to be seen.
Each of us wants to be heard.
Each of us wants to be valued.

Our soul craves to be accepted; to know that we as individuals matter; to know that there is a way through the darkness of uncertainty and the fear of the unknown. By seeing ourselves as God sees us, we can be led by the light of faith?

Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see, the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty, and trust God.

“If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

1 John 1:6


Ask God to give you the ability to see ourselves through his eyes. To reach within, to see the motives of our hearts and soul.

A saying by E.E. Cummings and it stopped me in my tracks.
“To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everyone else – means you have to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight – and you must never stop fighting.”

Last year I completed an online course, and part of the assessment was to write a personal manifesto. I have it on my wall above the computer, and as I read it, it reminds me once again of the power of Gods light, and how he sees me.

I would like to share it with you. Perhaps it may encourage you to write one for yourself. It brings clarity of thought and soothing to my soul every time I read it.

My Manifesto
The values I have that will guide me to being a person of faith and one who shows up, are:
Integrity, Faith, and Grace.

I stand for the values above, with a deep sense of knowing that I still have a long way to go to achieve them every day in my life. I shall not be deceived into thinking that because I don’t see them active in my life all the time that I become ashamed of failing. I am learning to use them to mind the gaps in my life.

I have the courage to put the past in the past, understanding the influence it has had on my life, and although there have been so many negative, shameful times, there has also been so much learning, acceptance and energy of faith and trust to move forward and show up with those mistakes fully open and visible in my life.

I love that I am loved, I love that I understand what love is, I love that love conquers, heals, invigorates, challenges, and accepts weaknesses.

In my heart of hearts, I do believe that I dare to stand and not be wavering, shamed or defeated. Defeat only comes when I accept a lie or fall through the gap. I also know that where there is a gap, there is an opening to pull myself through to stand up again and try another time.

I will love myself because too many times in the past I have allowed other feelings to rob me of my self-respect and inner peace and understanding. I deserve to win, and I am well able to overcome with my core values there to be my weapons and not my armour.

I will dare greatly to continually take steps forward, to test my truths and values, to understand the strengths and the weakness of my inner being, and to remember that I have a place in this world as a mother, grandmother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and confidante.