Borrowing the Eyes of God

Most of us view “mysticism” as a mysterious quality that doesn’t pertain to us. We believe it’s a type of insight that is exclusive to saints, who seem to have a particularly intimate relationship with God. German theologian Dorothee Soelle provides a different perspective: she believes that mysticism is not a new vision of God, “but a different relationship to the world — one that has borrowed the eyes of God.”

How would our relationship to the world be different if we saw it through God’s eyes? According to the book of Genesis, God looked at everything God created and said, “It is good.” We can take that to mean that for God, everything has value and contributes to the wholeness of creation. Unlike us, God does not look at weeds and mosquitos and proclaim them “bad.” People tend to have an “anthropocentric” view that considers humans to be the most important thing in the universe, so we judge everything from the perspective of its benefit to us. God has a broader vision of a world in which everything is part of the body of Christ and thus should be valued and reverenced.

If we borrowed the eyes of God, we also would be astonished to view everything through the lens of compassion and mercy. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said we should forgive others “70 x 7” times, because in doing so, we are imitating God’s way of forgiving. This doesn’t mean that our behavior doesn’t have consequences; as Joan Chittister has said, “Sin punishes sin; self-centeredness destroys itself; God doesn’t punish sin.” We are the agents of our own punishment through our choices. God sees the goodness that is our birthright and pities us when we cut ourselves off from the source of life. Because of God’s unfailing love, we can always trust in God’s mercy.

When we embrace mysticism and start developing a relationship to the world though God’s perspective, we are relieved of the burden of judgment, which is a great gift. We become more attuned to beauty, to wonder, to possibility. This is not an outlook that is confined to saints — it is available to each of us when we make a conscious effort to see with the eyes of God!