Set Your Eyes Upon Him

 Set Your Eyes Upon Him

This week, I came across a Facebook reel by a woman I did not know. She looked and sounded like a kind grandmother. She briefly described one of her favorite Bible passages from 2 Chronicles, where King Jehoshaphat faced one of the most difficult moments of his reign: a battle against three neighboring nations.

As she narrated this incredible moment in Judah’s history, she described a scene that I could easily relate to. Jehoshaphat looked to God as a child looks to his father when he is in need. 

We can all remember moments from childhood when we faced something that seemed too difficult to handle on our own. Our eyes instinctively searched for the familiar face of a parent, and somehow, we knew everything would be okay. From our earliest years, we learned that our relationship with our parents meant security and comfort in times of need.

So, we called them—for anything and everything. We did not care what others might say or think. We trusted that Mom or Dad would be there for us, even to answer our silly questions or admire our childish drawings. We relied on them completely.

And then, in the cycle of life, we become parents ourselves. We wait for our children to look to us as we once looked to our parents. We want to be the place of love and security they can turn to, while also watching them grow strong, confident, and capable of facing life's challenges.

As parents, we pursue a relationship close enough for our children to know they can come to us at any time, regardless of the circumstances. Yet, at the same time, we want them to grow, become independent, and learn to face life with confidence.

Jehoshaphat knew that the battle before him was too great. He did not know what to do, but he knew where to look and whom to call.

He set his eyes on God, not on his circumstances.

As Esther Emma Walker described it, he was “like a little child standing, looking up to his daddy.” Jehoshaphat did not pretend to have all the answers. He simply cried out for help.

And God answered.

What a beautiful picture of the relationship our heavenly Father desires to have with His children. God does not expect us to face every battle alone. He invites us to come to Him, just as a child runs to a loving father.

There is no struggle too small for us to bring to Him and no battle too great for Him to fight. We may not know what to do, but we can always know where to look.

Set your eyes upon Him.

“Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

2 Chronicles 20:15 

Esther Walker: The Remedy for Worry

Beauty Is In the Eyes of the Beholder

Beauty Is in the Eyes of the Beholder

Last week was my birthday, and with it came the realization

that as time passes, so do my youthful looks and energy. Walking through the halls of the school where I work, I was met with a puzzled question from one of the students: “Why is your hair white on top of your head?” I simply replied that I was getting old, leaving out the part about no longer coloring my hair because I had grown tired of doing so. After 50, it seems I am constantly battling to stay in shape and look less tired. 

This is a battle I share with many other women who describe their journeys to reverse the signs of aging through miraculous diets, exercise routines, special vitamin combinations, and countless other remedies—all in pursuit of a better version of themselves, a beauty recognized and approved by others. It is a cultural standard by which women are measured, yet it is as relative as can be. Plumped lips or thin lips, overly thin bodies or curvy ones, fake eyelashes or natural faces, heavily tanned or pale skin, long hair or short hair, blonde or brunette, makeup or no makeup—all in the name of a worldly standard of beauty that changes with the shifting tune of fashion.

The financial investment and time consumed in chasing these ideals can never truly satisfy the deep longing of the heart. Beauty, as defined by the world, is flawed because the world itself is fallen. What the world calls beauty is marred by sin.

True beauty, therefore, cannot simply be a focus on outward appearance. While we become distracted by our looks, we often neglect the relationship that brings lasting peace and satisfaction. God does not condemn exercise, self-care, or even adornment, but He seeks a kind of beauty that no procedure or product can achieve—a meek and quiet spirit.

This beauty does not fade with time. It is worn upon the soul. A gentle yet strong woman is slow to anger because she has surrendered herself to God. Her confidence in her Savior brings tranquility even when circumstances are uncertain and difficult. In contrast, a restless and proud heart, one that does not fully depend on God, is easily shaken.

Real beauty is found in reflecting the character of Jesus—a meek and quiet spirit. And that can only be achieved through a personal relationship with Him. God sees the heart, men the appearance. 

How beautiful is your soul?

"Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."            I Peter 3:4