Embodied Spirituality:
God’s Gift of the Five Senses

Part 5: Sight

Looking out my living room window, I can’t help but notice the vibrant colors of the trees across the road: fiery oranges, bright yellows, and crimson reds. It is a remarkable sight that I never tire of. The fall season brings so many sights that are worth gazing at time and again.

Fast forward a few weeks and the trees are laid bare. Thanks to freezing temperatures and harsh winds the beautiful colors of the Fall have been all but erased. And so, we are in the in-between.  A waiting period of sorts: the weeks between the vibrant colors of Fall and the first cover of snow. Although, the Winter months bring many grey days, that first morning you awake to a fresh blanket of snow is magical. Seeing that snow globe like view transports you to another world.

As we anticipate that morning, I wonder what other sights your eyes might be seeing in your daily life?

What do you see out your living room window? Take a few minutes to soak it in. If you are on the East side of the C wing or the North side of the B wing, then you might see the bright yellow and fiery orange of construction worker’s jackets and hard hats. Maybe not as beautiful as the changing leaves, but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Kidding aside, as you stare out your window, begin naming the things you see. Is there anything out of place? Is there something that’s always been there, but you’ve never taken time to notice it? What have you seen change throughout the time you’ve lived at Beacon Hill?

Our eyesight is a gift that sometimes goes underused. We can take it for granted and not use it to pay attention to the beauty of our world and our community. We can allow days and weeks to go by without seeing all that is right in front of us. There are so many gifts that come through our sight, but we have to be open to receiving them.

I lament the way eyesight can break down in old age due to cataracts and macular degeneration. I know some of you are struggling with the loss of eyesight and how your life has been turned upside down as a result. Thankfully, others of you, have been blessed with successful cataract surgery that has provided healing to your eyes.

The greatest gift we can give to one another is the gift of seeing the other. We are members of a community and part of being in community is to know one another. As we know one another, we begin to see each other more clearly. We learn about each other’s rhythms, favorite foods, or hobbies. We listen to each other share burdens and offer prayers. We pay attention when we haven’t seen our neighbor around in a while. The more we do this, the more we see one another. The more we see one another, the more we open up ourselves to be seen.

A community that sees each other is a community that loves each other. May love be our lenses as we continue to be a seeing community. Even as we feel the effects of further restrictions and the lack of holiday get-togethers, may we continue to use our eyes to see the needs of those around us. May we be bringing those needs before the One who sees each one of us and calls us beloved.

I’m hoping the next time I see the vibrant colors of Fall, we won’t be facing a holiday season without much hope of seeing many of our loved ones. I pray that as we see the seasons continue to change, we will be one step closer to being able to see one another and our families with nothing covering our faces or requiring us to keep distance.

Peace be upon you,

Chaplain Travis Jamieson

 

Discover Your Best Life at Beacon Hill at Eastgate