“Eyes Wide Shut”

Although this is the title of the 1999 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, it has relevance to us today.

Many people go through life this way.

Going to and from work and never noticing:

• The brightness of the sun or the green color of the trees.
• The innocent smile of a baby.
• The hidden pain in the eyes of an elderly loved one.

Taking their children to and from school and never noticing:

• The excitement in their laughs.
• The unique way they see the world.
• The disappointment in their eyes.
• Their subtle cries for attention, affirmation and love.

Dining in a restaurant and not noticing:

• The stress experienced by the server.
• The panic in the eyes of the mother next to you to pay her tab.
• The sadness from the elderly couple in front of you.
• The cleanliness of the restaurant.
• The detail by the chef to ensure you have a unique dining experience.

We often are so busy focusing on ourselves that we miss what is right in our face.

"You can’t make someone SEE the truth when they refuse to open their eyes.” – Janette McGowen

This quote came to me as I was in a passionate conversation with a friend regarding a relationship issue. The total denial and refusal to acknowledge strong feelings that still existed were very interesting. The focus continued to be diverted to external factors instead of the obvious, in-your-face truth. No amount of reason or persuasion could help produce the “light bulb moment” of clarity.

In the 1992 movie A Few Good Men, the memorable dialog stated:

Lt. Kaffee (Tom Cruise):  “I want the truth!”

Col. Jessup (Jack Nicholson):  “You can’t handle the truth!”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104257/quotes

The Bible says:

John 8:32 (NKJV):  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 14:6 (NKJV):  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 17:17 (NKJV):  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV):  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Memorable Quotes:

“People don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” – Friedrich Nietzche

“Truth may be inconvenient, uncomfortable and perhaps unwanted; however, it is always relevant, necessary, and undeniable.” – Anthony Walker

“We don’t see the world as it is. We see it as we are.” – Anais Nin

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau

“When you change the way you look at things, the way you look at things change.” – Wayne Dyer

"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible." Jonathan Swift

“I shut my eyes in order to see.” – Paul Gauguin

“The only thing worse than being blind is having SIGHT with no VISION.” – Helen Keller

 “The truth will always be the truth even if no one believes it.”

It may serve us to eliminate life’s distractions and open our eyes by opening our minds and hearts to “what is”.