Through His Eyes

Before becoming a father, I spent a lot of time thinking about all the things I couldn’t wait to teach my son.

How to throw a football.

How to ride a bike.

How to rock climb.

I had all of these expectations of who he would be and what he would learn, but what I don't think any new parent expects is how much we end up being taught by our children.

One of my favorite parts of becoming a dad has been watching my 10 week old son look around and discover the world. Every day seems to bring something new that catches his attention - a ceiling fan, the light out the window, or recently, the canvas of my wife and I from our wedding. Things I haven't given a second thought to suddenly become fascinating to me because I'm seeing them through his eyes.

What is it about the colors on the canvas that draws him in? What does he see in the leaves outside of the window? Why does a ceiling fan draw his attention? When he stops and stares, so do I.

Every time he looks at me and smiles (cutest thing in the world, by the way), I find myself wondering what he sees in me.

He doesn't know much of anything about me yet. He doesn't know what I do for a living. He doesn't know my strengths or weaknesses. He doesn't know the mistakes I've made or the things I worry about. He doesn't know whether I'm having a good day or a bad one.

Maybe all he knows is that I'm a safe space for him, and if that's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. After all, what more is there to being a good father than that?

As I've reflected on how I see my son, I've been thinking more about how God sees me. How often do I assume that God sees me the way I see myself?

I see all the ways I haven't measured up. I see all of the shame like a cloud following me around. Especially now with the weight of being a father, I feel so much pressure to be perfect (difficult when you’re operating on four hours of sleep!).

But we know better than to think that of God, right? We know that God sees someone He created, loves, and calls His own.

God doesn't ignore these things about us, but Scripture reminds us that He sees deeper beneath the surface. Our flaws to him are like algae sitting on top of the water that hides the beauty of the aquatic life underneath.

On the day Jesus was baptized, before He had preached a sermon, performed a miracle, or called His disciples, God declared, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).

Before Jesus did anything, He was loved.

Before He accomplished anything, He heard from the heavens that His Father was proud of Him.

As I hold my son, I find myself understanding this concept more every day. He hasn't done a single thing to “earn” my love (he couldn't if he tried), but I'm already so proud of him and well pleased with him. Even as I change his diaper, I find myself saying "Good job! I'm so proud of you!"

I loved him before he started to smile at me and before he recognized my voice. From the second he entered the world, he was already the most incredible thing to happen to me.

How much more true is this of our Heavenly Father? He is well pleased in us before we ever do anything that we in our humanity might think is pleasing to God.

This is what I've been learning through his eyes. In how much I love my son, in all of the beauty I see in him beneath the surface, I understand a little more how much God loves His children.

So if you're in a season where you're struggling to see yourself the way God sees you, maybe take a moment to stop, breathe, and look in the mirror again.

Look at yourself through the eyes of a Father who knows everything about you and loves you anyway.

A Father who isn't waiting for you to earn His affection.

A Father who calls you His own.

Picture yourself as the small child with your whole life ahead of you, in whom your heavenly Father is well pleased.

As you celebrate Father’s Day today, I pray that you feel seen, loved, and heard in a new way as you see yourself through His eyes.