Do You See What I See?

May He enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope His call holds for you.
— Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)

I literally see the face of Jesus, every day. I carry it on Kodak paper in my wallet…no really. Let me explain.

Near my home, I found a pattern in a wood fence (see left) that to me CLEARLY looks like the face of Jesus -- head bent and praying. Every morning when I walked past the fence, it would give me a sense of peace. It was a beautiful sight to me. This was my way of greeting the day, by truly looking in the face of our Saviour. No one could tell me that the J-Man wasn’t with me daily.

So convinced was I of what I was seeing that I had to pull out my camera and take a picture. Not only did I take ONE picture, but I took SEVERAL pictures. I had to get a shot of Jesus from every angle. (That’s my daddy’s ‘must photograph everything to death’ side of me coming out (LOL - love ya, daddy!)) Anyway, I carry one of the pictures with me in my wallet. I look at it every day, especially during those difficult times when I need to feel comforted and be reminded that the Father and Son are always with me.

Now this is the weird(er) part -- when I saw a crew tearing down the fence, I actually asked them if I could have that particular part of the fence. This piece of fence was the equivalent to my “burning bush” (keep your minds outha gutta). The crew entertained me, (surely convinced I had escaped the nearby mental facility) and said they would leave the wood on my doorstep. But, they DIDN’T leave the wood for me -- which is probably a good thing -- what the heck was I gonna do with a rotting 2x4????

One day I actually took the picture with me to work and shared it with co-workers, convinced that everyone would CLEARLY see what I saw. I outlined the history of the photograph, as I’ve done here, to my co-workers and then asked them if they could see what I was talking about.

To put it kindly, let’s just say -- they didn’t. And when one person in particular said he instead saw a SQUIRREL WITH A NUT, my mouth dropped to the floor. A squirrel with a nut? Heck, he was the nut! I couldn’t believe it! How could they not see what I saw?

The day-long Jesus/Squirrel debate at work was some ish that gave me a headache and just about made me lose it -- but it was an important reminder! It just goes to show that reality is a matter of perception and how we each perceive the same stimulus in the world is truly SUBJECTIVE and dependent on our individualistic thoughts, experiences, and beliefs. Some of us have a more intuitive, abstract way of looking at things -- and beyond this photo -- that can be related to how we deal with problems and look at life. Some people don't necessarily see with just their eyes, but instead with every fiber of their beings -- including their hearts and emotions. For others, the way they see, perceive and react to things is very pragmatic and logical. Everything is black and white, open and shut -- almost scientific and definitely without a connection to feelings or the heart. And dare I say it?? I believe more women fall in the first category versus the latter.

I say all of this to remind you…that as we deal with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season -- make sure to keep your mind's eye open to the fact that miracles happen everday and we all need to embrace the unexplainable and enjoy subjective beauty wherever we find it. May we all see more with our hearts this season.

Happy Holidays!