Eyes Open To Arms Open.

Starting at Genesis 21:8 we read about some trouble going on in the house of Abraham. It starts of when Sarah (Abraham’s wife) notices Ishmael (Abraham’s first son) and Hagar (Ishmael’s mother) making fun of Isaac (the son of Abraham and Sarah). Sarah becomes very angry and demands that both Ishmael and Hagar be sent away. Abraham is at first very upset by this, but God tells him to go through with it and that everything will be all right. So Abraham gives Hagar some food and a container of water and sends them off.

“When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. ‘I don’t want to watch the boy die,’ she said, as she burst into tears.” [Gen. 21:15-16 (NLT)]

Thousands people, if not millions, know how this feels. For some parents, it is this exact situation. Too many parents had to watch their children waste away. Then again for some, it is their dreams that they had to watch waste to nothing. Or perhaps it was money. Whatever the case, broken dreams are a part of reality. I’m certain at least three quarters of all people who read this can remember a time they had no hope. And the only thing they felt they could do was just take the dream, let it die, and start the mourning process early.

“But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called Hagar from heaven, ‘Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God had heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.’

Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.” [Gen. 21: 17-19 (NLT)]

Recently, I got new eyeglasses. I had been walking around for months squinting to see everything better. I truly think the bats felt sorry for me. So when I first put on my glasses, it was a shock! I could see things! And it seems all I did for the next few days was look around. I would go through my routine noticing thing I hadn’t before. And I loved it! Good sight makes life so much easier.

In comparison to God, all humans are pretty near sighted. Like me before I got glasses, we don’t always pick up on things right in front of us. And we often find ourselves squinting and looking around for options. Sometimes we are so blind spiritually that we can’t read the HUGE signs that say “Hey you! God has the answer for this!” And so we ignore them, and try to get through life by our own strength. As Hagar, and the three quarters of you reading this can testify, it doesn’t always work out too well.

Luckily, God had something for you sight hat works better than any pair of glasses or contacts could ever dream of! God can OPEN YOUR EYES TO HIS OPEN ARMS! You see God has REALLY GOOD vision, and can see every thing. He crafted you and knows every thing you can do. If you ask God to show you the Way, you’ll never have to squint! No matter how dreary it looked before. And the life that used to be too hard to do anything with will be easy. For you can more then you used to, and you can see God is there.

So to the three quarters of you, don’t squint any more. Let God open your eyes, and see life how you were meant to see it. With HOPE.