Eyes that See

I recently came across this poem called "If I Had Known," which goes like this:

If I had known what trouble you were bearing;
What griefs were in the silence of your face;
I would have been more gentle, and more caring,
And tried to give you gladness for a space.
I would have brought more warmth into the place,
If I had known.
If I had known what thoughts despairing drew you;
(Why do we never try to understand?)
I would have lent a little friendship to you,
And slipped my hand within your hand,
And made your stay more pleasant in the land,
If I had known.

This poem by Mary Carolyn Davies is a great reminder that we don't know what is going on in the lives of those around us, but I think we can take this a bit farther by examining a couple of points that this poem doesn't mention. 

First and perhaps most important is that often we don't have eyes that see the hurts in the lives of others. We fail to look deeply into the faces of the people that we pass each day. We are too obsessed with our agendas and our cares and concerns to see the people hurting around us. So we must pray and ask God to show us the people who need a caring smile, an encouraging word or even a hug.

The second thing we must be aware of is that others don't automatically know we are hurting. We can't just assume that people can read our minds and feel our hurts. We must open our mouths and reach out for them to know that we need someone to understand, be a friend and show love and compassion.

I want it to be said about me that I'm the kind of person who reaches out to the hurting to make a difference.

Madelyn, my sister-in-law, is that kind of person. In fact she tells a story of meeting someone at the movies, just by chance (or could it be a divine appointment?). She befriended the woman since they were the only ones in the theater. They continued their new friendship after the initial encounter and the lady later confided to Madelyn that when they met her life was falling apart. Her daughter and husband had died and then her son died also. She was all alone and planned on killing herself that very night, until she met Madelyn who showed her care and concern and a purpose for living.

We will never know what others are going through if we don't just take the first step and start a conversation. It might mean the difference between life and death.


Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

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