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Through His Eyes

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THROUGH HIS EYES

My parents became Christians after my brother and I were born - and I was old enough to recognize the positive changes in our home.

Dad was a story teller - a quiet, reflective man, he had a gift for observing and reflecting on things about him.  He would tell my brother and I about events that happened during the days of his youth, or happenings at work. There was one story I heard many times.

This occured probably during the late 40's - we didn't have a car and rode the city bus into town for shopping or to get to church (the Moline Gospel Temple). One day, not too long after he became a Christian, Dad was riding the city bus. The bus made its stops along the route and passed through a poorer neighborhood.  On this particular day unkept children were outside playing along the sidewalk.  Dad wondered, "How did these children, mostly ignored by society, appear to God? How did they look through God's eyes?"  Then a strange thing happened. One of the young boys who had caught the attention of my father was transformed for a moment in the most wonderful glowing color.  He was beautiful.

But Dad could never articulate the appearance or color, although he reflected on that moment many times, and repeated it to me as I grew up.  I wondered just what my father had experienced.

Then many years later, our oldest daughter had her 16th birthday.  This daughter was the object of many of my parents' prayers. She had overcome several physical challenges - I'm sure as a result of their love and prayers and God's goodness.  On her 16th birthday my father gave her a little box.  He told her about the young boy whom he had seen "through God's eyes," and how just a few days ago he had passed a jewelry store and there, in the case, was a ring with a stone of that same glowing color.  It also happened to be my daughter's birthstone.  A ruby. 

As my daughter slipped on the ring and held her hand out to admire it, I softly said to dad, "God sees us through the blood of Jesus. That child was seen by God through His Son."

Dad's story and gift to his granddaughter is a reminder to me that when I stand before the throne of God, it is not my sin or failures - or maybe a few good things that He may see, but He will see His perfect sinless Son standing before me and on my behalf.  It's not anything that I have done - but all of what He did.

1 Peter 1:17-21
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.   NKJV

Jean (Lundahl) Reiff