Open The Eyes of My Heart

Are you experiencing the tint of a colorless world? Lately, I sure have and it’s my own fault.

About six weeks ago I injured my back and I’ve had sciatica nerve pain ever since. I saw a doctor who recommended prescription Ibuprofen along with physical therapy, so I have been doing that very diligently. But after all this time I haven’t gotten any better and still feel quite a bit of pain all day long. I can’t stand up for any length of time, so even though it’s the heart of summer, I can’t jog, I can’t play golf or baseball, I can’t even paddle-board or swim for more than a few minutes. As a very active guy, I am not very happy right now.

This past week it really started to get me down and affect my attitude, which is normally so positive. Even my wife commented, “you look 20 years older than normal”, which I’m sure was meant to somehow cheer me up, but it didn’t exactly have the desired effect. However, last Friday just as depression was really starting to rear its ugly head, I got a phone call from a close friend who wanted to know if I was okay. Later that same day, I had one of my customers (who is also a friend) take me aside to show his concern. That same evening, I received three separate text messages from three friends asking about me, saying they missed me… and the message became very clear… How can I complain about anything when I have such great friends!

I woke up really early the next morning and as I thought about how lucky I am to have such great friends, I suddenly had an idea. I can’t walk and I can’t run, but maybe (because it allows me to sit down) I can ride my bike? Sure enough I took off on my old black beach Cruiser and it didn’t hurt a bit. It was a beautiful morning as I peddled down Beach Road by my house and even though the sun was barely up, there were groups of people already spreading their gear out along the warm sand by the water. The longer I rode the better I felt, and the better I felt the more I noticed what a beautiful world we live in.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been stuck inside too much lately. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been focusing on my own problems too much lately, but whatever the reason the ocean looked bluer than I have ever seen it, the flowers were blooming brighter than ever and displaying every color imaginable, the birds were singing, the seagulls were clacking and people all around me were laughing and smiling. I stopped for a moment, took in a deep breath to smell the crisp ocean air and realized that I hadn’t felt any pain for the last 30 minutes. No, I wasn’t experiencing a sudden miraculous cure, I was simply experiencing the miracle that is this beautiful world that God created for us. When I stopped focusing on my own problems and opened my eyes wide enough to see all the beauty that exists around me, I experienced a joy that superseded everything else. I guess you could say that when I stopped looking only at myself and my own problems, I could see through the eyes of my heart, that this world is filled with wonder and beauty, including the love of good friends!

Open the eyes of my heart Lord, open the eyes of my heart. 

I want to see You. I want to see You.

~ Michael W. Smith