Articles
It’s In The Eyes…
Sam Clemens was completely “smitten” when he met Olivia Louise Langdon in August
of 1868. He determined from the first moment they met that she would become his wife. But
Olivia, was not a strong girl. Prior to Sam meeting her she had been confined to her bed for 4
years with a spinal condition. At the time of their meeting she was unable to move much more
than from one room to the other. Yet Mark Twain loved her as no other and saw her as the best
in the world.
Love is a powerful thing. It enabled Sam Clemens to see something in a frail girl that
caused him to choose her as his lifelong companion. Together they faced numerous successes
and heartaches until her death in 1904.
Love blinds us to the shortcomings of others. We often either do not see them or choose
to ignore faults in those we love. It is as though they do not exist. Peter wrote about love
“covering a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). It isn’t that we don‘t see them, it’s just that in light
of our relationship they do not hinder our affection.
As parents we mostly see our children as perfect. It is a parent’s love and the relationship
that we have that enables us to love our children that way.
That is how it is with God. We are His children: redeemed by the sacrifice of His only
Son. We are not perfect; and yet He sees us with a righteousness that is not our own. You see, “it
is in the eyes of the beholder” that loves beyond all else and sees only the object of his love.
Imperfections do not register at all. What matters is that we love them and have bonded
ourselves to them.
God has chosen us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are joined with Him. He sees that
we are His and while He challenges us to overcome our shortcomings, His love and patience
carry us through to the end. It’s in the eyes. (edited for space)
~ Charles Hill, church of Christ, Chambersburg, PA
