Why “Eyes To See?”

Skydiving over Queenstown, New Zealand

During my time overseas in Australia for a nursing exchange program, Germany for my first duty assignment in the United States Army, and Afghanistan on a deployment, I found myself consistently writing about my experiences so I wouldn’t forget them. There was always a new emotion to feel, a new perspective to gain, or new insight to process. Over time, I began to realize I had a choice in every experience. I could choose to see the bad. Or I could intentionally choose to have eyes that see the goodness in every situation, to choose gratitude or joy or peace or faith. I wanted to choose the latter, to see the goodness. And I wanted others to see it as well.

Now don’t think I say that tritely, leaving you rolling your eyes, clicking out of this box to go back to your Newsfeed, and saying, “Here goes another one of those ‘Positive Patsys,’ who has never seen the harshness of the world.” I may not be able to empathize with your exact circumstances, but I promise to give you the reality of my world then and the reality of my life now, my emotional roller coaster ride, and how I try to continuously come to an intentional stop at gaining perspective and ultimately choosing goodness. My hope is that at the end of the day, you get real, raw, authentic emotion with a new perspective.

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Matthew 13:16 (NIV)