“The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, they body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If they whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” Luke 11:34-36
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“What do you think of this dress?” I spin a girly twirl in the dressing room of my favorite boutique.
“It goes with my eyes!” I bat my lashes hoping that is just the push my husband needs to dress me in style.
“You mean it matches your contacts.” John corrects me and drops the shopping bags that are leaving creases in his arm.
I retreat into the dressing room and look carefully at my reflection; it makes me sad. Defeated, I strip down and throw on my jeans.
“Why do you hate my contacts so much? They make me feel pretty. What is wrong with that?” I turn to my husband after several minutes of silence have passed.
“Why do you feel the need to hide your pretty brown eyes?” Brown eyes. I cringe at the thought of just how ‘plain’ brown even sounds.
“You’re a guy. You don’t understand.” I brush it off as a male/female issue, but John pushes further.
“You’re right. I don’t understand how you can’t just look in the mirror and like yourself. The real you without the fake tan and the blue contacts. I like what I see before you put on all that junk.” John had mentioned this before, but I thought he was just spouting an insincere compliment.
I am sure my years of dancing for lying men had warped my trust in them. Sadly, I gave little consideration that John might actually mean the words he said to me.
Unfortunately, I had embraced those superficial ‘additives’ for so long, that I assumed they were somehow just a part of me, not an optional choice.
In Luke 11:34-36 the Bible states that when the heart is evil, the eye is filled with darkness. But, it also mentions that the reverse is true. When the heart is full of light, the eyes will reflect that.
After reading these verses, I dug deep for the courage to do one of the hardest things. I gave up my security blanket and threw out those blue contacts. This was no easy task as I had been hiding my true colors for fifteen years. I did it for my husband, of course. But, it was important for me to also do it for myself. I needed to learn to love the eyes that God gave me and not hide behind the mask I had gotten so comfortable with.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, and I was not allowing people to have a chance to connect with the real me. Today when I speak to someone I can look him/her straight in the eye without anything standing between us and that feels good. When people look into your eyes, what do they see—darkness or light?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
The darkness of my soul leaked out and penetrated every part of me. My heart and my eyes were heavy with sadness, depression and the lowest self worth of anyone I have ever known.
I don’t like being this way, as insecurity drives a person to the most vile attributes of humanity. It creates a breeding ground for jealousy, envy, vanity and pride.
The irony is, I crave beauty. And, all of those qualities are ugly.
I give you my heart. I know it needs some work and I am expecting that in your hands it will be okay.
Help me to see myself as worthy of your love, so I can accept it, be healed by it and start to learn to love myself in a proper and balanced way.
In Jesus’ precious name, bless my eyes to see things your way, and let them reflect the light of God that is growing stronger in me every day. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Luke 11:34-36
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan