Open the Eyes of Our Souls and See Jesus

Jesus is waiting for the opportunity to show himself to us, but often, we find we are hiding behind a bolted door guarding our hearts. Jesus waits for the moment he can reach us. When we allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts and souls, we see that he brings life in ways that we may never have imagined. In those times, we opened ourselves up and found hope when we believed there were no answers or a way out of a hard situation. When we meet him and let him in, we find our relationship with God is much more than getting through one particular situation. The Holy Spirit stays with us and feeds our spirit, healing us and opening the eyes of our souls to see God is with us, and patiently guiding us toward the love and life we have in Christ Jesus.

This is the beginning of the journey, one in which we walk with the Spirit as we encounter obstacles and opportunities in life. It is a time of spiritual maturing that never ends, but brings out the love of God within us, changing us forever.

But sometimes, it is one step forward and two steps back. Sometimes we get comfortable, life is good, and so we bolt the door of our hearts. We don’t want anything to change, our status quo is comfortable. Without realizing it, we can decide that moving any closer to God may disturb our happiness.

I wonder: how many occasions he has appeared to me and I missed him? What was I protecting, what clouded my vision at such times?

In the Gospel of Luke, the disciples are hiding behind a locked door. Jesus has been crucified but some have seen the risen Christ. They are joyful but remain behind the door in a secret room. To be fair, this is a reality-breaking event. How is it to be understood and how does it affect their situation as followers of the crucified Jesus?

How does this matter to our life today? We want the door open, but the world is still a dangerous place. Is it safe to step outside with Jesus? If we get too close, will he ask us to give more of ourselves than we want? Have we forgotten how he pulled us through life’s difficulties in the past?

It is little wonder that in Luke 24:36-46, Jesus’s first words are “Peace be with you.” He then asked, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” When you think about it, the blessing of peace and the question of doubt are still very relevant to us today. 

Join us Sunday and let’s look a little deeper into the story ourselves and the blessings of Christ in our hearts.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick