Open Your Eyes!

Do you ever come across people who are hurting but give the impression that everything is alright? I’m sure you have, we all have. Maybe you are one of those who give the impression that everything is alright. But the fact of the matter is everyone has some need in their life that needs to be filled, needs that need to be taken care of. We all need to look at people and try to look beyond that outward appearance to what is lying behind their eyes. We need to look and ask ourselves what we think their needs are.
It seems as if though there are more stressors today than ever before. Stress is an emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition of mind which occurs in response to adverse external influences. People react to stress in many different ways. It is not the intent of this paper to explore all aspects of stress and how to handle it. Rather my intent is to touch on a few issues and try to give you a couple of resources that may be helpful. For more information on stress, please visit the American Psychological Associations web page on stress.
With the economy in the state that it is in, people are struggling just to make ends meet. This provides a tremendous amount of stress on a person. There’s a multitude of resources available to help people manage their money better, to help them get out of debt, and to help them with their overall financial resources. Crown Financial Ministries is an excellent starting point. You can also visit Emmaus Road Christian Store for other resources.
Many people today are dabbling in sin. They are playing around with alcohol, pornography, drugs. These are addictions that yes, even Christians can be involved it. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we do this but Satan is right there telling us that it is alright because everyone else is doing it, one time will not hurt us, and who will know, no one will find out. If you are a person with such an addiction, take heart, there is help available. You many want to obtain a copy of the Life Recovery Bible. It is based on the 12 step recovery model. Where some programs tell you to get in touch with a Higher Power and let you decide what that Higher Power should be, the Life Recovery Bible will tell you that the Higher Power and the true source of healing is God himself.
Perhaps the greatest stressor of all is the death of a loved one whether it is a parent, spouse or child. A person just doesn’t know what it is like until you actually go through the loss of a loved one. Many great books and resources are available for those who are going through the grieving process.
So what do you see when you look at someone? Do you look deep, beyond the exterior into what is on the inside? You shouldn’t do this to meddle, to be nosey or to look down on someone. You should ask God to place someone in front of you and give you the grace to look inside of them with the questions, “What is their need” and “How can I help them?”
For those who are Christians and believe what is written in the Bible, Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." This is a promise of God. It is impossible for him to lie, therefore, since he said what he said then he will deliver. Many times our job is to simply let others know of Gods promises and his guarantees.
When we are around people we need to ask God to open our eyes to what their needs are and what we must do to fill those needs. God may just use you to answer another person’s prayer. We must be the “Good Samaritan” that Jesus tells about in the gospels. We must store up treasures in heaven and not be so concerned about what we have here on this earth. God may be calling you to fill a need of someone. By helping you are storing up in heaven your treasures. In Matthews gospel, the people said to Jesus, when did we see you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you something to drink naked and clothed you or in prison and came to visit you? Jesus’ response was “what you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done it to me.
Open your eyes. Have the eyes of Jesus!