Our Father’s Eyes

May 20, 2018 by Wendy L. Macdonald (British Columbia, Canada)

My firstborn son inherited my husband’s handsome, dark brown eyes. He also shares the same love of the outdoors; it was apparent to me the moment we stepped outside for his first ride in his new stroller, for he listened and looked with wonder at the swaying cedar, hemlock, and fir trees we walked under. We lived in the country where our home was surrounded by forests and fields that deer, wolves, elk, bears, rabbits, raccoons, and cougars roamed. As my son grew into a young adult, he saw all but wolves in the wild—although we did hear them howl at night.

I inherited my dad’s hazel eyes that look blue when I wear denim and look green when I wear green. I also share his love of family, antiques, and homemade soups. He’s in heaven now, but thankfully he passed down his recipe for borsch to me before he died.  

The eyes that we should strive most to emulate are our Heavenly Father’s eyes. God sees everything through the filter of holy love and He’s generous in not wanting anyone to die without being born again. But salvation isn’t like eye color; it can’t be genetically passed down.

Since eyes are the window to the soul, what we focus on spells out what’s inside. If we focus on what is pure, we mirror our Father’s eyes. The good side to not being able to genetically inherit salvation is that no one is excluded from becoming a member of God’s family if they repent, trust, and believe in Jesus Christ.  

As I watched my oldest son grow into manhood, I noticed he copied many of my husband’s thoughtful ways. When we hiked together, he always offered me his hand when I struggled to climb up or down a steep section of a trail. It’s moments like those that gave me hope he too would one day walk in the ways of his Heavenly Father. Soft hearts are fertile ground for seeds of the gospel to germinate and grow in, and since we home-schooled, I was able to sow a generous sack of scripture into the lives of our offspring.

As parents, one of the ways we show our Father’s eyes is by demonstrating unconditional love towards family, friends, and neighbors. Jesus loved both sinners and saints while he walked this earth. He even rebuked some of the religious people and called tombs and vipers. Jesus had our Father’s eyes because he looked at the heart and not at the outward appearance. Jesus didn’t focus on certain sins as being worse than others. He saw adulterers, prostitutes, tax collectors, religious leaders, and fishermen as people equally in need of saving grace.  

The moment we see and love others as ourselves is the moment we’ve inherited our Father’s eyes.

How would you describe the eyes of Christ? 

For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (John 6:40 NIV).


To read more from Wendy, you can go to her blog: http://www.wendylmacdonald.com/


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