The mirrors of the soul

Eye-contact.

What is it about people's eyes that give away their soul?

An eye is just a collection of cells. It has color and shape and movement, but are those the elements that reveal the thoughts?

I stop at a lonely country house, wanting to skip it, but not daring to. The boy that comes out is lonely too. His pale green eyes mirror the pain of rejection and loss, but the slight flicker of hope catches my attention. I cannot leave him the same, without offering him something better.
"God doesn't want you to be afraid. He didn't give you that fear; He wants you to be happy and free. He has an amazing plan for your life."
He smiles, the flicker calming and growing stronger, "I sure hope so."

"I'll be praying for you."

"Thanks, I'll pray for you too."

I'll never see him again, this side of eternity, but I loved him for his sincerity.


Then, the other day in Church's Chicken, as the cashier is signing her friend up for Stop Smoking seminars, a guy comes up and asks,
 "What are those books about again?"

I didn't even know he was there. Where did he come from?
 He was in his 20s, had a boyish face and beautiful brown eyes.
I showed him the books, and he immediately took a liking to the Great Controversy.

"I'll buy a book from you!"

Reaches into his pocket and gives me a 10. 
We talk a little as I write out a receipt. He's volunteering at the local Goodwill store because he had had a traumatic incident happen in his life and needed to regain social skills. What?
And he had approached me with such confidence! Amazing. Most people are too shy to approach me as a person even if I am not canvassing because I'm tall and act a little stuck up. Especially when I'm canvassing, usually only the managers approach me. But this guy...I saw the Holy Spirit drawing him out of himself to reach for the truth. He took the best book I had, and I know that it was a divine appointment that we had met.

Those soft brown eyes. Who could imagine the pain he had suffered, and the joy that was waiting around the corner?

And the girl with the curly hair. The lovely dusty brown skin, crazy curls, and huge eyes made it obvious she was mixed. She smiled at me, but when I was done with my canvass, she looked me in the eye and turned me down.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."

What? Why? Why wouldn't you be? You look like you should be interested! ahh...

Ok. That's her choice. I did what I could.

All the expressions that show who a person is, what they are thinking about, how they feel, are in their eyes. The face can be blank, but the eyes cannot.

All those people who come to the door, smiling, looking me in the eyes, can no longer keep the eye contact when they reject me. They know they are lying. They have money. They have time. They just decide not to, and they feel bad. They close the door without looking at me again.
Why?

Why do I find it hard to look certain people in the eye? When I was little, and my parents would scold me, I couldn't look them in the eye without laughing. Why? Because the seriousness of their expression needed a little humor to balance it out?
Or maybe because I didn't know what else to do. How is a child supposed to respond to a scolding?

Or when a friend is teasing me or trying to make me tell a secret, I can't look them in the eye. It's too hard to keep a straight face, or from giving them information they want to know.
Too hard? Does that mean impossible?

Or when someone thinks I am special and they look me in the eye. That one is closer to impossible.
Why? Because I'm afraid the reality of who I am will shatter their rose-colored lenses.


Could I look Jesus in the eye? The thing about Jesus is that He doesn't own any rose-colored glasses.
He knows exactly who a person is, and He looks them in the eye anyways, because-
And we're back to my original quandary: what is it about people's eyes that give away their soul?

He wants our souls. He wants us to see His soul, and to know Who He is on the inside.

If Jesus lives in me, I will no longer fear looking into the eyes of another person, because I know they will see His heart, and not mine.