You don’t hear the old-fashioned word “gaze” much anymore. Who
has time to sit in a gazebo in the
midst of our fast-paced days? The psalmists, on the other hand, used the word
quite a bit to express the longing to see God: “Let me gaze on you in your
temple, a vision of strength and glory” (Ps 63:3).
Although we may not do much gazing these days, we still have the
desire to see God, like Zacchaeus, who impulsively climbed
a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. However, instead of seeking God's face, we might do better, as Rachelle Linner says,
to “allow ourselves to see him looking at us.” My friend Dan Boyd tells a story
about arriving early for a spiritual direction appointment and being told, “Just
go sit over there and let God enjoy looking at you.” When we can trust that God
does indeed enjoy looking at us with warmth, love, and forbearance, we can let
go of any inauthenticity and learn to look at others as God looks at us.
The Thanksgiving holiday offers us a little breathing space
in our normal routines to do some gazing at that with which we have been
blessed. May we also take time to allow ourselves to be transformed by God’s
loving gaze.
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