Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
A stare is full of meaning. It can suggest awe and wonder, disgust, curiosity and much more.
I’ve always been skilled at drawing the occasional curious stare, especially from children. This is a natural result of my unusual gait, so I learned to go with the flow unless one of the little rascals got unmannerly in their comments. I won’t burden you with any of my responses, but be assured I have tamed more than a few unruly tongues, at least momentarily.
For my part, staring was saved for special occasions, like whenever a young lady entered the room, exited the room or was known to have a pulse. I noticed this sudden and strange obsession when I was about eight years old.
My parents managed a local store, so I spent much of my time providing free labor in return for unlimited Icees. It was a fair trade. One day, a high school student, who was most pleasantly attractive, entered the store and began playing one of the store’s video games.
It was then that I realized my gaze was fixed irrevocably upon the fair maiden. I tried being inconspicuous, but I failed, becoming increasingly embarrassed at my inability to look away. That’s when I entered the 35-degree food and beverage cooler so I could continue my gawking unabated and undetected.
This plan was working nicely until the afore mentioned beauty started a winning streak on her game that lasted an eternity. By this point, my tiny frame was resembling a popsicle and my teeth chattered unmercifully. She finally concluded her game, and I won my freedom as she departed.
Eight year-old me had no idea why I was so smitten with this young lady. Of course, I figured it out a few years later, but it was a mystery at the time. All I remember, besides her beauty, was that she was infectiously friendly and kind, all ingredients adding up to a bad case of pre-teen infatuation for me.
As I’ve grown older and somewhat wiser, I have learned to save my stares for the things that truly need my attention. Now, I fix my gaze on problems that need solving or the predicaments of others that I can assist with. While these are more noble pursuits, there remains greater races to run.
King David explains the importance of setting our gaze upon the most important things in life. Since he also had experience gazing upon lesser things (that got him into much trouble),
his words are particularly impactful.
“I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple” (Ps. 27:4)
This gazing of David’s wasn’t a casual thing. The Hebrew definition of “gazing “ means to “look upon with full attention.” He isn’t looking for giddy feelings or for his day to be free of troubles. The verses preceding reveal that David was probably in the midst of war, with enemies attempting to surround him.
For him, that was all the more reason to set his gaze upon the Lord. David knew that the Lord’s presence would include everything he needed to face what may come, so that was his first refuge.
The New Testament gives more powerful promises for those who set their gaze and fix their attention on the Lord. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
These verses promise a freedom rooted in our unity in Christ. “Looking at the glory of the Lord” results in our transformation into His very likeness. What we stare at, we become.
The Lord knows this well, which is why we are told to look “as in a mirror.” He created us to reflect His image, once we give Him our lives. Therein lies the key to real freedom. Notice that we are to look towards Him with “unveiled” faces, which suggests a marriage has taken place.
Veils were worn by women who were engaged, so that the single men knew to “fish in another pond” when choosing a bride. The unveiled face suggests the marriage has occurred, and the woman is in a fully committed relationship. She will see what others miss and long for. Transformation requires a steady stare.
In a very real sense, you and I are committed to what we stare at and give our full attention. You can be left in the cold, trapped by worthless desires that will leave you empty, or, like David in the midst of battle, you can rest in the presence of the Lord, sheltered from your most formidable foes. Choose wisely.