Seeing with God's eyes

This morning I spoke for chapel at Lilydale Adventist Academy.

I told the story of Jimmy and the Sunspot followed by an activity that involved all the students and really challenged them! 

Jimmy's story is one I made up some years ago to teach compassion for the people society ignores. In the story, Jimmy gains the ability to look at a person and instantly see the greatest need in their life which he is able to fulfil. He soon realises that by doing what he is shown, he can make a powerful difference to the people around him. You can click on it to read the whole story. The main point is made in the last line when Jimmy decides to always see people the way he saw them "after looking at the sun." 

After telling the story, I had the students stand up, choose a partner, face each other and then I taught them a song:

Angel, angel, you are and angel

I see an angel in your eyes

It's a short song, but feels really long when you must look into the eyes of another person and, without looking away, sing the entire song. It was worth a bag of lolly snakes, so quite a few kids gave it a shot.

Those who couldn't make it through the song, sat down. I asked the remaining group to take one step closer to each other and we sang the song again - EYE CONTACT! - and sing! 

Angel, angel, you are and angel

I see an angel in your eyes

A few more pairs sat down. Then another step closer. EYE CONTACT! - and sing! 

Now, touching toes! EYE CONTACT! - and sing! 

More students sat down. Just two pairs remaining - all year 7's. (The youngest kids always win this!)

Now, touching noses! EYE CONTACT! - and sing! 

They did it! All four of them! So, I called them up the front and gave them their prize, to share. As the winners stood on the stage with me, I asked them if they saw anything in the eyes of the person they were singing to. Usually kids tell me, yes. They saw their own reflection.

And I concluded: 

If we get close enough to any other person on earth we will see ourselves reflected in them. That's the way God made us. The closer we get to Him — the more we look at Him, like Jimmy looked at the sun — the more we will see what God sees in every person we meet. God sees himself in us! He created us in His image and when He sings to us God doesn't sing, "I see an angel in your eyes." God looks into your eyes and sings, "I see myself in your eyes!" Because God created us in His image.

May you have the compassion to see what God sees when He looks at each and every person. And may you never stop looking at the Son.