Staring at God

Psalm 116:1 "I love the Lord because he listens to my prayers for help, He paid attention to me so I will call to Him for help as long as I live." 

(Italics added for emphasis)


Children fascinate me. They always have a way of showing you things about God or about the world that you would never see from an adult's point of view. I recently just started a new job and one thing that I have noticed is that kids will express their need when they want something, even if it involves screaming about their need. 

I was on lunch break the other day and as I sat down to eat I felt like I was being watched. You know that feeling you get when you just know someone is staring at you. Well I stopped eating and I looked around, no one was staring at me. I thought to myself, "Well, I just must be tired or something". 

Then something caught my eye. A little head peering from behind my seat was now clearly visible. So I turned my head and this child was staring at me. He could have been maybe three or four, but what was so intriguing about this kid was that he would never take his eyes off me. It didn't matter where I moved, he would just stare at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

I noticed something to about this child. When he stopped staring at me and started staring at someone else, then that person would either ignore him, or look at him and then look away feeling uncomfortable. Now I'm not saying that I was the only one that smiled at the child but what intrigues me about this situation is the "want" of  this child. He wanted to learn. There were a lot of new people around, and he was enjoying watching all of us interact.

 I believe that as we grow older, we lose that new fascination of wanting to see everything and wanting to know more. If an adult were to stare at another adult, well then, that would be considered rude. If a child stares then it's cute. Think about it. Sometime during growing up we lose this "want" to learn about everything. We think we know everything.  I've got a surprise for you, we don't. We haven't the slightest idea of what's going on. Sure, we own cars, houses, and we have adult things to do, but where is that child-like attitude that we must have to learn more about God. 

Have you ever had a time in your life when all you wanted was to stare at Him? I mean, to suck in everything that pertained to him? You know what? If you keep that attitude of staring at God, of wanting to learn more about him, He won't ignore you. He will smile upon you and teach you step-by-step on what it means to love Him more each day. When you smile at a child they normally mimic you and smile back. Stare at God and He'll show you how to mimic Him. Be His child; not His big bad strong adult. Be His child and you will learn more than you can possibly imagine. 

So what are you staring at, the worlds pop culture? Sure, it will satisfy your need for entertainment, but it will disappoint you. Are you staring at your problems, you won't find your answers there. Are you staring in the right direction? If you're not, do it now. God is waiting for your eyes and your "want" for Him. He desires you and He's waiting. 

So go ahead take a look at Him, He is always there to welcome you back. Be prepared to have Jesus show you how fascinated He is with your life and how He wants to take away the unrest this world has shown you. Lock your eyes on God, and you'll realize something...He's never looked away from you, and He's been longing for your eyes.