Eye training

"You have to train your eye to see them..."

This was my friend's remark back to me, as I lamented that I couldn't see any of the bush beans that we were picking. It was hot out and the sweat was running in my eyes.  "Really," she said, "the beans look so much like the bush."  And so I began pulling up the leaves, staring and looking, actively, for sign of bean.  Still looking.  Still seeking.  Staring. 

AHA! I see them! 

There they were - right in front of me.  I chuckled to myself. 

The same thing happened when we visited the zucchini patch, the crook-neck squash patch, the snap-peas rows, and the fig tree.  I had to train my eye to see the vegetables, growing right in front of me.

I wonder if this is what it takes to recognize God's work and presence in the world.  I have to train my eye to see God, yet I know that this can only happen with God's help.  In that sacred moment of God's love, secure in God's faithfulness, I can train my eye to see the Sacred all about me.

How are you seeing the Divine, right before your eyes, in this moment?



As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him. Matthew 20:29-34

Inattention

I recently listened to the Scientific American podcast, "60-second mind," about being so absorbed in an activity that one does not perceive another event.


In the article, "Inattentional Blindness Can Make You Not Perceive Event" the author explains how a study originated after a cop in hot pursuit of a criminal did not see a police brutality scene that was happening along the route of his fast-paced chase.  


Apparently in a study designed to recreate such an event, nearly 2/3 of the subjects did not see the "other" thing that was happening. Fascinating.


Does this "inattention" explain why suddenly last night I came upon a new staircase at the hospital?  I've been working there for 6 months and here was a shortcut that appeared out of nowhere!  Perhaps I had been, um, too preoccupied in my own fast-paced chase to see it?  Quite possible.


I wonder how this plays out in other areas of my life.  How am I not seeing opportunities for expansive ways to find the truth?  How am I blind to liberating perspectives? 


I pray for attention of perception and the grace to accept that what I do see.


Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Mark 4:24-25 NLT)


How are you experiencing any inattentional blindness in this moment?