Eye contact - January 23

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 30, 32; Isa. 46:1-13; Eph. 6:10-24; Mark 5:1-20

Even with masks over the lower part of our faces for this relatively short part of our lifetime, there is something very powerful about seeing one another’s eyes. Our eyes can communicate much of what is going on with us internally or externally. As I think about eyes and the influence they command, a kid named Lulu comes to mind.

About 10 years ago, Sam and I volunteered as coaches for youth baseball in Southside. The Dizzy Dean team we coached was called the “Red Hots,” and we played at Avondale Park, just as it had been restored and renovated. The kids were 9 and 10 years old, and for many, this was their first time hitting pitches thrown by their peers (rather than their coaches). It was a team of spunky girls and boys, with varied levels of expertise and backgrounds. Imagine the Bad News Bears; the Red Hots were cut from the same cloth. One kid on the team was Lulu. She was scrappy and full of enthusiasm, with long, brown, wavy hair and a starry-eyed approach to life. Lulu always doodling, even in the dirt.

As we got to know Lulu and her family more, we were also warned of when she would give the stink-eye. Some call it the skunk eye, and there are varied tales of the source of the term – perhaps even to Hawaiian surfer roots – but in short, in case it’s a foreign term to you, getting the stink-eye from Lulu meant that, while the facial shift was restricted mainly to the region of her eyes, the feelings brewing beneath that precious imp were a mixture of disgust, distrust, and general disagreement with the status quo. (Perhaps you have even given someone a look like this.) A show-boating, gloating uber-athlete (at the tender age of 10) could elicit such a glare, if he impugned Lulu’s ability as she stepped up to the plate. Her dad’s interference with something counter to her plan could also earn a scathing stink-eye. And as with many families with multiple children, Lulu’s younger sibling was a frequent flyer in the gaze of the stink-eye. Sam coached Lulu and the Red Hots through that season, regardless of stink-eye status, and we had a gloriously fun experience.

I keep thinking about what we express and how we connect with others through our eyes. The Psalmist in Psalm 32 writes of the challenge of being “coached” by God through the rhythms of repentance. These words that have been said, sung, and chanted draws us into this prayer of reflecting about how we know what a state of peace we reach when we are “right” with God – forgiven for the wrongs we’ve done. And yet, it’s hard to name our sins before God. When we hold in those burdens, it feels as though our bones wither, and we cannot hold it any longer: “Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt.” (v. 5) After confession, the Psalmist – and we – are forgiven and protected by God. Then, the Lord surrounds us with shouts of deliverance, offering words of instruction – much like a coach from the sidelines. God bellows, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with my eye.” (v. 9a) What words of beauty and encouragement, that gladden my heart.

Friends, the way we get to enjoy the gifts of mercy, forgiveness, and healing bestowed upon us by the sacrifice of Jesus is to keep eye contact with God. We get to practice keeping eye contact with God, letting God’s eye guide us – and hopefully it won’t be the stink-eye too often. We get to try to listen as God, wielding a whistle and clipboard, outlines the rules and coaches us in the ways that we should go. We get to stay immersed in the Good News by reading the Bible. We stay connected by praying for one another and talking with God. We keep serving God by being with those in need. And, when we make an error, we repent and return to the Lord rejoicing, for our sins have been put away.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

Who has been a coach for you, in daily life or in a more spiritual realm?  

What do you imagine about God’s eye? What images or feelings come up for you?

Daily Challenge 

Be attentive to making eye contact with people today and the week ahead. Listen for any emotions that you feel. Are you more deeply connected? Are you feeling uneasy? Think about the action of being connected with others so that you may understand them better -- and take that approach with prayer to God, too -- seeking eye contact!