Eyes Wide Open

Eyes Wide Open

I remember when my sister and I were young and had to walk home, crossing busy streets. Although she was the younger of the two of us, she was always watchful and extremely careful. More than once, she pulled me back to safety just in time to avoid an oncoming car. “Didn’t you see the car coming?” she would ask.

But I was casual and untroubled. Ignorance is bliss—or is it? Not for my sister, who had to watch me put myself in harm’s way. 

To see clearly can be either a blessing or a burden, depending on the consequences. In the Garden of Eden, there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In His love, God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from it. Yet the serpent tempted Eve, saying that if they did, their eyes would be opened and they would be like God.

As we know, they ate the fruit—and the first thing they saw was their own nakedness. They had been created good, but now they felt shame. With their eyes wide open, sin entered and took hold of their once-perfect lives. In that sense, not knowing good and evil had been a blessing; it meant living in harmony with a holy God.

However, there are times when our eyes should be open—and yet they are not. When that happens, we can fail to recognize what is right in front of us. This is what happened on the road to Emmaus after Jesus’ resurrection. Two men, filled with sorrow, were discussing recent events when Jesus Himself came near and walked with them. He asked why they were troubled, but they did not recognize Him. Their eyes were closed.

They explained everything that had happened, and Jesus responded by calling them slow to believe what the prophets had spoken. Then He began to explain the Scriptures, revealing what they said about the Messiah—about Himself. Still, they did not see. Only when He blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them were their eyes opened. Imagine that moment of realization—they had been walking with Jesus all along and almost missed Him.

The Bible teaches that when hearts are hardened, ears are dull, and eyes are closed, we miss salvation and healing of the soul (Matthew 13:15). This is a dangerous condition, one with eternal consequences. Yet God also tells us that through Christ, our eyes can be enlightened so that we may know the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, and His power at work within us (Ephesians 1:18).

That is what it truly means to have eyes wide open.

Ignorance is not bliss—it is the absence of awareness and wisdom. I am grateful my sister watched over me when I should have been looking out for her. These days, I am far more careful—not only when crossing streets, but in paying attention to the things that truly matter.

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know..." Ephesians 1:18

Lest We Forget

Remember

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately forgotten why you went there? I do—often. I move from the kitchen to the bedroom, pause, and draw a blank. Only when I return do I remember my original purpose. It frustrates me, and I get upset with myself. I also notice my younger son sometimes says, “I don’t remember you saying that,” to avoid following instructions. Memory is fragile, selective, and often unreliable. 

Yet, remembering is vital. In Perth, Australia, I learned a phrase that carries deep meaning: “Lest we forget.” Spoken on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day, it honors the service and sacrifice of World War II veterans. Each year, people gather at dawn, pause at 11 a.m. for the Last Post, and wear or place red poppies to mark these moments in history. The purpose is simple but powerful: to remember, so that sacrifice and meaning are not lost with time. 

A similar lesson appears in the Bible. Luke, one of Jesus’ disciples, recorded an episode of forgetfulness after Jesus’ crucifixion. The women went to anoint His body, only to find the tomb empty and angels asking, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” Then the angels said, “REMEMBER how he told you that the Son of Man... must be crucified and rise again on the third day.” At that moment, they remembered. They ran to tell the disciples, who initially thought it was a tall tale. Even Peter, seeing the empty tomb, did not remember Jesus’ words.

What a tragedy—to miss the most important event in history because they forgot what had been said.

Like the people of Perth, we must deliberately remember God’s Word. My mind may falter, but if I revisit, recite, and remind myself of His teachings daily, I will not miss the blessings of His gentle guidance until His return.

“… I will not forget Your word.”

—Psalm 119:16

In The Beginning

 “Thy word is true from the beginning, and every one of Thy righteous judgments endures forever.” — Psalms 119:160

There are some sports I really enjoy watching, and basketball is one of them. It’s a game that combines teamwork with individual skill. An NBA game is divided into four quarters of twelve minutes, but with timeouts and breaks, it usually lasts around an hour. As the clock winds down—especially in the final five seconds—we know the game is about to end, along with any remaining chance to win.

So, the beginning of a game is always exciting, full of anticipation and hope. I imagine it was something like that at the creation of the world. There must have been great wonder as God established time, formed the earth, created animals, and placed the first man and woman in the garden. What a beginning! God declared that everything He made was good.

When God said, “Let there be light,” there was light. When He commanded the earth to bring forth trees and vegetation, it happened. Everything God spoke in the beginning came into being because His word is true. What He declares is, and always will be, true.

Yet not long after this perfect start, that goodness was interrupted. Adam and Eve chose to seek the knowledge of good and evil for themselves—to be like God—rather than to trust and obey Him.

So when He told Adam and Eve that they would surely die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it could not be otherwise. Death came immediately—not physical, but spiritual. They were separated from God, who is Spirit. In choosing independence, they cut themselves off from the very source of life. What a tragedy.

Yet even in judgment, God spoke truth with hope. He declared that the serpent—Satan—would bruise the heel of Eve’s descendant, but that descendant would crush the serpent’s head—a fatal blow.

At Easter, as we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are called to look back to the very beginning. What God said then remains true today. Apart from Him, there is only death—first spiritual, then physical. But Jesus is the way God has provided: to deliver us from sin and to satisfy His righteous judgment.

So what will you do with God’s Word? Will you believe it, or will you wait until the clock runs out?