Has someone ever looked at you, in such a way, that it left a chill so cold that your heart’s breath could be seen in the air? If such a thing were possible?

It’s like a hollow glazed look in the eyes, where one’s soul isn’t present. No moisture to be found. Two mere, dull glass balls remain. It leaves a subtle creep that slowly crawls across your soul, as you start to comprehend it for what it is.

Hmm… what to call it? One could call it possession (I don’t prefer this); rather, it is enough to say that the heart is no longer home in the person who has this.

They become as a dull piece of stained glass — where the sparkle has given way to inner squalor, and stagnation.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to sense this in people many times.

But not always.

I’ve known people that have shocked my heart by their shallowness. Where suddenly they have turned. Where once they were a dove, they suddenly revealed their jealous hearts to be more ravenous than a viper.

Fitting… for sadly, they are of their father the devil, and the state of their soul is displayed in their eyes.

Dull, void, opaque, dead, and the only light to be seen comes from you — reflected off their sullen gaze. Hungry for who knows what — a soul that they can’t even appreciate, nor partake of.

These strange creatures carry smiles that always turn out to be fraudulent.

I must wonder what fuels their void? A desire to be loved?

Perhaps… but it isn’t necessary. Love needn’t have strings to keep on feeling. I feel that these people sometimes desire to make their fate, and be “loved for it”. That’s not love; rather, that is their pride telling them that the adoration they receive is love.

They do not see. Love isn’t manufactured, nor was it ever intended to be. It is a free-will offering yielded to uncertain fate, and given as a gift.

Sad are they who turn away the Love of God, and the love of his faithful ones by their own foolish pursuit of fiery lusts, and temporal niceties.

I’ll say this. Hell will freeze over before the love of God’s heart turns cold; before his luminescent eyes lose their luster, and before his heart gives up on us. This heart is what makes the demons shake violently. Not only that, he needn’t even say a word (for his presence speaks) to silence them.

His eyes of fire pierce through the darkness as they are. In pure peace and power.

He sees us.

Think about that. He not only sees you, but he sees and understands what he is seeing.

You are known deeply by the Father of lights!

Yet, though his gaze is ever upon us, many (even I) have difficulty resting in his sight. It’s like the one who sees all is in my midst, and though I don’t wish to hide from him… I sometimes do wish there was some space.

Then he reminds me,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9, WEB

I usually become comforted rather than bothered after remembering this.

There is one who comes to my mind that knew Jesus very well in space and time — Peter. He touched him, SAW him and his miracles, and heard in sonic form (which blows my mind) the words he spoke.

And yet, pretty often… it is told in scripture that he didn’t always SEE the big picture, though it was right in front of him.

Jesus said to him (Thomas), “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”

John 20:29, WEB

There is another person that comes to my mind that never saw Jesus as a mortal according to scripture; rather, he knew him in spirit — Paul.

Both were OG apostles. They both had much to brag about from different angles.

Peter was one of the twelve that went wherever Jesus went, saw his glorified form, and sat at his feet (I have no doubt).

Paul on the other hand (when he was known as Saul)… was as Pharisee as he could be. He had the very best education from the scribes and Rabbis of his day; was zealous, and knew his scriptures left from right.

Yet… both had hearts that at times didn’t SEE the heart of Inspiration himself.

Though one was in the very presence of Jesus… it’s easy to see that he held “the gall of bitterness” sometimes. Something he accused Simon the Sorcerer of once in the book of acts. He DID not get that from Christ.

In contrast, Saul was in the presence of man. The great hammer of the temple spearheaded persecution against the worshipers of Christ, even some, perhaps, who had seen his ascension.

He was blind until….

He SAW.

He didn’t see Christ in the flesh, but he SAW him in the spirit. The “scales” fell out from his eyes, and over time — off of his heart.

Peter saw Christ.

Paul SAW Christ.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12, WEB

They illustrate this to me. Though one was before the Christ in person, and the other was before the Christ as the glorified one, yet as spirit — (to me) Paul was often closer to the heart of Christ than Peter.

Peter in his ego, as Moses and others before him, allowed pride to frost over the Eyes of his heart, and his compassion. He could be very wroth and partial to certain groups of people, so much so that he wrote about Paul correcting him over it. Seeing the body of the Living God walk before him didn’t stop the problem of not seeing his ESSENCE.

Paul on the other hand was by no means perfect. He too had ego and pride, as do we all, BUT… he laid it down daily. He stood in the council of the Spirit daily. He choose to live out the meaning of the name given to him by God, for Paul comes from the Latin word Paulus, which means little or humble. What he lacked that Peter once had in the flesh — the body of Christ — before him, was more than made up for by his humble reliance on the Spirit.

In this….

He SAW the Lord, and got his ESSENCE.

Saul means “asked for”, and God answered his prayer for what he truly needed… humility, a clean heart, and the Spirit of God..

His humility allowed him to receive vast visions and understanding that edified others, even Peter.

They both did much good. Yet to me, the one that had humble eyes (Paul) won more often against the frost — the frost of pride and shallowness — where more often, seemingly, the one with prideful eyes did have the frost win in his heart more so (Peter).

Where the frost was so cold that it took Jesus passing by him, after he denied knowing him, to soften his heart, and bring passion back into his soul.

Two people, with two different lives; different backgrounds; and different Eyes.

The eyes of faith, hope, and love vs. the eyes of fear, pride, and envy.

Thankfully in the end, the eyes of Christ did prevail in Peter, as they did in Paul.

So…

What eyes shall you use today?

Peace.