Looking and Seeing

We do not see by looking.  Looking implies effort.  Looking speaks of what we set out to do and something for which we expect to see.  Seeing is not about effort, but about being.  To think about the difference between seeing and looking is to remember Jesus saying, "The kingdom of God  is not coming with things that can be observed....For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you, within you."   (Luke 17:20-21)   Those who go looking with great effort for spiritual manifestations in the world are likely to look beyond them and not actually see what is breaking in all around them.     

The words of Jesus remind us that we see evidence of the Kingdom by being instead of doing.  There is nothing we can do to make how God is making Himself known in the world more visible.  It is all around us.  It is inside the fabric of every part of the creation.  We come to understand this not by human effort, but by simply being in the midst of it.  Mercy and grace is what opens the lids of our spiritual eyes so that we can see what we are unable to see by intentional looking.     

Ears to hear and eyes to see are wonderful gifts of grace.  Otherwise, we suffer from a kind of blindness that prevents us from being attentive to the present moment of our life.  We will always experience the Kingdom, the blessings of God, and the manifestations of His presence by being out there with no pre-determined plan and no set of expectations.  If we are looking for signs of God in the world, we are far more likely to see them by simply being in the world and waiting for God to do what God is always ready to do which is to be present with us.