Give Me Your Eyes

I never knew what poor was like. I mean, I did. I was raised by a single mom. We had NO money. I wore hand me downs. I ate from food stamps. We got very little for Christmas.

And, according to our nations standards,... my family of 4 is living in poverty now. But I had NO clue about poverty and I tease about being poor but I certainly have a deep appreciation for all that I have.

Maybe that is because I have legitimately seen poor. I mean, REAL poor. A place where a government won't get water treatment for its people. Where people live in homes that have dirt floors and cardboard stuck between the supports (cardboard made up the walls) that hold up the tin roof. A one room home for 4, 5, 6 people. A fire on the dirt floor. Absent father after absent father. A bed, a tv, a table and no drinking water. Trucks that come by to SELL water that the government had treated but wouldn't let the people have cheap access to. A place where we built water tanks so that families could catch rain to be able to wash their clothes, bathe and do other chores. And... though it is not safe to drink that water, I saw children dipping out of the water tanks for a cool drink of water that their parents could not afford. Families who were so thankful for us helping them that they sacrificed their own breakfasts to feed us in a way that MORE than showed their gratitude (they ate corn tortillas but prepared us special breakfasts). THAT kind of poor really changed my perspective. It gave me a heart for others. And it made me want to see in people what God sees in them.



Sometimes I lose sight of that experience. Sometimes I forget how God sees people. Sometimes... I see people who make bad choice after bad choice and I resent them instead of longing to help them. I was listening to the radio and a song came on today that just brought back memories of my time in Comitan (Chiapas, Mexico). And it really convicted me for not trying to see people as God sees them.

Give Me Your Eyes



Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what’s underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work, he’s buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

I’ve been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well, I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way You’ve seen the people all along

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten