Week Thirteen: Eyes to See. March 26 — The Lens of the Heart
Pure love opens the eyes of the soul to see God in everything. Gregory the Great
Gregg’s Reflection
Two of my Gallup Strengthsfinder gifts are Futuristic and Strategic. That gave me the ability to see further down the train tracks. I used to be frustrated that others could not see what I could see. Then I realized ‘eyes to see’ was a spiritual gift. Come along this week as we explore Eyes to See.
When I think about seeing as God sees, I’m reminded that spiritual vision begins not with the eyes, but with the heart. The older I get, the more I realize how much my early perceptions were clouded—by ambition, insecurity, and the desire to control outcomes. I looked at situations and people through the lens of what they could do for me or how they might affect my plans.
Over the years, God has been regrinding my lens. Through times of loss, stillness, and prayer, I’ve learned that clarity comes when I let go of judgment and control. My eyes are sharpest when they are guided by love. As Paul wrote, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” When my heart is aligned with God’s heart, I notice things I once missed—small kindnesses, quiet courage, the face of Christ in a stranger.
Seeing with the heart takes practice. It requires slowing down, listening deeply, and asking God to show me what He sees. It also calls for humility—accepting that my view will always be partial, and yet trusting that God will give me the light I need for the next step.
Scripture
But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
1 Samuel 16:7
“This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Matthew 13:13–17
Ancient Quotes
Pure love opens the eyes of the soul to see God in everything.
Gregory the Great, Moralia in Job, Book 10, §9
Modern Quotes
When the heart is pure, the vision is clear. When the vision is clear, the action is right. When the action is right, peace prevails.
Richard Rohr, The Naked Now, p. 142
Faith gives us the eyes to see not what God is but who God is. He is to be found at the root, the ground, of our very existence.
Ilia Delio, Christ in Evolution, p. 132
Journaling Prompts
- Where have you been seeing only with your physical eyes, missing the deeper truth?
- How might God be inviting you to see a current situation through the lens of the heart?
- Who in your life needs you to notice them as God does?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 13 Reflection: Eyes to See