Eyes of Love

"...Jesus beholding him loved him..."  Mark 10:21

     As I was reading my Bible this morning, this excerpt from Mark jumped out at me.  Did you know when Jesus looks at you, He loves you?  He sees you through eyes of love.  How comforting to know that even with all my faults and numerous shortcomings, He loves me.  The Scripture states that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  There are many times when my thoughts, my motives, my actions, my words do not bring glory and honor to God.  Yet in the messed up state I am in, He loves me still.  Just as I am, He sees me through the eyes of grace.  He is patient with me allowing the Holy Spirit to do a perfecting work in me.

     While it is such a comfort to know God's unconditional love towards us, we would be wise to remember that He looks on others in our lives with that very same love and compassion.  That person who has hurt us, that person with which we find difficulty getting along, that person who just rubs us the wrong way - He looks at them with eyes of love as well.  The same mercy and grace He extends to us, He also holds out to them. When we realize how much we have been forgiven of our sins, it becomes much easier to forgive others of their trespasses against us.  May the Lord help us to extend the love and forgiveness He has so generously bestowed upon us to everyone we encounter.

     Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You, thank You, thank You for all your love and mercy in my life.  Thank You just doesn't seem enough.  Even with all my imperfections and mistakes, You love me.  In the words of Will Reagan, "You see me.  You know me.  And You love me through and through."  How awesome!  How overwhelming!  Help me to realize how great Your grace is in my life and help me to extend that great grace to those I meet.