All Eyes on Jesus
When we fix our eyes on the Savior,
we see Him in all things,
above all things,
before all things.
“Keep your eyes on Jesus,
who both began and finished this race we’re in.”
— Hebrews 12:2 (MSG)
“You could see Jesus everywhere, Jennifer,” my favorite farmer tells me. He and I stay up way past midnight, so he can tell me his stories. He’s only begun.
Jesus, everywhere. That’s what he told me. Right there, in Haiti — poorest country in the western Hemisphere, haven for voodoo, mired in corruption, a figurative stone’s throw from U.S. soil.
More than he saw the mess, He saw the Messiah.
More than the poverty, he saw the Prince of Peace.
More than the yuck, Yahweh.
Jesus is always more than.
Can we see Him?
He saw Jesus, right there, next to the trash heaps and in the shantytowns.
He saw the King of Kings in little boys, who are now crowned with caps from our local farmer’s elevator. He saw Christ in the work teams that put a new roof on a family’s home, and in the little girl who wanted him to tell her more about the Savior.
When we look beyond the trash,
and straight into the heart,
we see more clearly God Incarnate, humble enough to be born in a barn, humble enough to dwell with the impoverished.
This is what I am relearning:
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. ”
— Matthew 5:8 (MSG)
Jesus, Help me fix my eyes on You this Thanksgiving and every day, always discovering that You cradle every single thing for which we give thanks.
(The nativity set is a gift from my husband, just back from Haiti.)
So happy he’s home. Love the nativity set. The pictures of the children in the ball caps are priceless. Looking forward to more of the stories and seeing more of Jesus.
Am wondering if I can get a guest-post out of my husband? It feels strange to tell someone else’s stories. And I just know that I’m not even close to getting what he felt right. …
The nativity set is so amazing. I love, love, love it.
🙂 I was thinking that as I read this. I’ll bet he has so much to share!
I love the nativity set, too! And those boys in gimme caps.
My world is so much more beautiful when I see HIM in each and everything:)
Hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving!
Blessings,
andrea
Do we need to start a petition to persuade Scott to write a little? (I say a little because, I know, he could write volumes and not feel like he’s scraped past the first breath he took off the plane — so it might feel to him as very, very little.)
Scott’s one of those guys that Paul Miller would say have “developed an eye for Jesus.”
It’s not lost on us that the two of you are together. Welcome home, Scott. Get some sleep.
i hope to see, always see.
beautiful post.
I can feel the sense of “hallowed ground” in your words. Thank you to your husband and to you and your girls for the gift of your story.
So beautiful. The caps. The nativity. The new roof. Your husband home with you and your two huge-hearted girls.
All of it.
And I’d like to sign Lyla’s petition, please.
What a blessing for him–and for him to share with you and your girls.
Oh Jennifer, I just love that little nativity! What a wonderful gift, and so meaningful from your husband. I would love to hear more stories! Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with your family! God is so good! Lori
Ah, sweet homecoming, story-sharing, picture-looking and gifts, gifts, gifts. The tiny nativity is marvelous – and the stories even better. I’ll add my name under Sheila’s on Lyla’s petition. This will be a particularly meaningful Thanksgiving for all of you – enjoy, celebrate, sing! (oh – and eat, too!!)
Thank you for sharing some of the joy of your husband’s trip in word and pictures…it all makes Jesus shine! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your dear family!
“Jesus, everywhere…” shining through His people. Thanks for sharing, love the grin on the boys face. Blessings to you all this Thanksgiving!
Please share more of his story! Your words always speak to my heart. Thank you for your writing and your witness. Happy Thanksgiving to you all – together again!