"...with eyes that see but don't really look, and ears that hear but don't really listen." (Jeremiah 5:21b MSG)
I could tell by the way she carried herself that she had 'come into' her confidence, perhaps the way a newly crowned Queen 'comes into' her authority and power; over time yet all at once. She spoke calmly and with great compassion toward her young adult son who sat across from her. He had just spoken words which no mother ever wants to hear; "You are a bad mother and a bad person." It affected her, and if I had been able to see her eyes, I am sure I would've found the faint trace of a tear ebbing up from within them, yet she sat and continued to speak with the calm assurance of a woman who knew the truth of who she was, and all that she had been through to just be sitting across from him now. In that moment I was given eyes to see what her son could not see: I saw her holding him close wiping his tears as she sang him back to sleep after a rough night of teething pain. I saw her making up stories at bedtime to stimulate his still forming imagination. I saw her soothing him with a cool cloth as he lay in bed suffering from a fever that was waiting to break. I saw her playing games, making him laugh, finding his favorite blanket and snuggling him up in it. I saw her helping him with school work late into the night. I saw her working hard so she could take he and his sister on trips every year. I saw her finding that black shirt, you know the one with the long sleeves, that he always liked to wear, that he had displaced until her Mom radar had located it. I saw her at their school activities, at their concerts, and sporting events. I saw her struggling with a body that wouldn't work right, and a heart that had known incredible abuse. I saw her down on her knees every night praying for him and his sister long after they had fallen asleep. I saw her make mistakes as a parent; relationships that were bad, decisions that were not good, failures that she learned to turn into fuel. I saw her grow, overcome deep adversity, conquer her inner demons, transform her life, love with every ounce of her being, even when it was undeserved, and serve others selflessly... I saw her, really saw her...and she was something to behold. The conversation came to an end, she told him how sorry she was for the mistakes she had made in the past, she asked him to get to know her now, she asked for his forgiveness, and told him that she loved him and that that would never change. And he left "having eyes that see but don't really look, and ears that hear but don't really listen." So maybe, just maybe, you haven't really been seeing the people around you? Maybe you haven't really been hearing them? Maybe we all need to have a Godly vision check and a Godly hearing test? Maybe we could "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) Maybe we could extend grace and mercy to those in need of it, rather than condemnation and judgement? Maybe 'toxic people' need a tonic of love and kindness? Maybe love really does conquer all? Maybe love really is the answer? Ask to see what you haven't been seeing. Ask to hear what you haven't been hearing. Open your heart to the knowledge that your perception may have been distorted and just 'see' what God will do... Written by Anne Marie Hawke June 2019 For more information about my blog, or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com
3 Comments
Cathy
6/10/2019 08:37:09 am
YES ~ Thank You for this tender insight.
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Brenda McMurray
6/10/2019 01:36:53 pm
So true. This one really touched my hear Thank for all the insights, really touch my heart.
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