Sitting in traffic, my eyes and mind often play a guessing game of sorts to pass time at stoplights. I watch the crowd crossing the street, try to guess what they do for a living or where they are going as they move with varying speed and intensity.
One day an elderly woman caught my eye as she shuffled along holding the hand of a small child. I immediately felt sorry for this burdened little one who was responsible for this feeble, frail old lady with apparent dementia. Suddenly, the pedestrian light started to flash. The cars rocked back and forth for their take off. All of a sudden the woman, being bumped about by the crowd, swooped up the small child and stepped up her pace.
Had my eyes deceived me or could I not recognize the woman’s capabilities because I was seeing something else?
God gives us new eyes daily. New eyes make women and children living in poverty, the homeless, the voiceless, and the elderly look different. Who will you see with new eyes today?
This message is adapted from a devotion written by Valora Starr for Women of the ELCA.