Now What Do You See?

An elderly man sits on a park bench,
And feeds the birds as he bends.
Is he filled with joy as he scatters the seed?
Or is this the extent of his friends?

A young woman hurriedly pushes on by,
Oblivious and inconsiderate of another.
Is she uncaring, cold, and indifferent?
Or rushing to see her dying mother?

The clerk at the store is slow and inefficient.
He confuses the order then employs a tone.
Is he merely rude and highly incompetent?
Or just received news he is losing his home?

The eyes of the head and the eyes of the heart,
Often will view things quite differently.
Might we take a moment of quiet discernment.
Now, tell me, what do you see?

Nice poem.

Beyond quiet discernment, we could make the effort to actually talk to people...and to listen to them.

It is amazing what people will tell you, if we care enough to let them speak.

Sorry, but this reminded me of one of my favorite songs...even though no one ever opens their eyes where I am concerned...or maybe they do, and they are afraid of what they see (not that it is bad).

brandon heath's version (w/ bonus yeah yeah yeahs)

Amen brother. This was well written and has a strong message. Its a great reminder to see with our hearts and to always show love. Pray you are having a great day

Having an awesome Lord's Day. Thanks for the kind words. Hope this message finds you enjoying the Lord.

Amen brother I'm glad to hear that. I also had a wonderful lord's day. We had communion tonight and it was a blessing.it was a reminder of what our lord and Savior did for us. I am so thankful for tonight.

This thread made me think about a movie that I recommended here once before.

Technically, it is not a Christian movie. In fact, something bad is said about Christians early on in the movie, and I believe that Jesus' name is taken in vain a few times in the movie as well. There are also some brief references to homosexuality and lesbianism.

That said, believe it or not, the movie has a very strong Christian message, I believe, in regard to loving one's neighbor.

If you can overlook the bad things that I mentioned earlier, then I think that this movie falls directly in line with the theme of your poem and this thread. The movie actually ministered to me a lot, and it also challenged me.

Anyhow, here is a link to the movie if anybody is interested in watching it:

https://lookmovie.foundation/movies/view/22302170-this-is-christmas-2022

I might watch it again after I eat my dinner.

My final interruption here...

I just finished watching the movie again (I've seen it 3 or 4 times now), and it brought tears to my eyes, as always.

If you want a more tender heart towards strangers/your neighbors, then I think it is worth a watch.

Good night.

The poem reminds me of

1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7b - God looks at the heart

this is so beautiful thank you for writing this
you're a great poet

Very kind words. Thank you. But more accurately, God is a giver of great gifts.