Fresh eyes!

The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7

“I need some fresh eyes here!” We were sailing at night in a huge storm out in the middle of Lake Ontario, big seas were running, and bigger were the winds. My watch mate had been looking for the past hour trying to find the marker lying off of Niagara where we would round up and find safe harbor.

Fresh eyes. Sometimes when we look and look we just see the same thing. The familiar, becomes the assumption, and it gets increasingly difficult to see the new, or the different even in a storm.

Lots of folk find themselves sailing in storms of one kind or another. Maybe not the dead of night in the middle of a lake, but perhaps it is the dead of night and they are rushing to the ED with chest pain. It might even be the break of day when they arrive for the surgery they hope will bring healing. They need fresh eyes.

Eyes that can see hope in the midst of a storm, eyes that can convey peace though the winds of fear pluck at their hearts.

Fresh eyes. You have them, and everyone who comes to you for help this day needs them. Whether a seasoned associate or physician, an anxious patient or family member, they want to see what is different. They want to find the marker in the storm that will give them hope.

It is said that the freshest eyes in any organization are those of the newly hired associates. They see differently and help us see if we will ask them what they see. After nine months, they pretty much see as everyone else does. We all fall into routines of seeing. Fear and worry only gets us there faster. Fresh eyes help us discover the new, the hope, the future.

“Learn to see,” said the eminent 19th-century physician William Osler. Before the advent of sophisticated medical imaging like MRIs, Osler could diagnose a complicated disease simply by noting subtle signs visible to the eye. To be able to see, not merely look, is the foundation of discovery.” Editor in Chief Chris Johns, National Geographic, December 2008

Learning to see a-fresh is our opportunity every day. Helping others to see a-fresh is our calling.

The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7

May your eyes be fresh eyes, seeing the blessings that surround you and others every day.

May your fresh eyes help others see the marker of hope, as my eyes did that stormy night long ago.

Peter

Peter Bath, D.Min.
V.P Spiritual Wellness & Human Development
Shawnee Mission Medical Center