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In our world today, we have so many options to capture our gaze. I know I gaze at my phone often throughout the day. Somebody at a desk job may have to stare into a computer screen throughout the day. The average American watches about 3 hours of television a day. And let’s not even try to count up our family’s time staring at gaming devices such as ipads, xbox’s, or ds’s. I would definitely say that there are plenty of things to look at during the day! I wonder how much time we are taking to look directly at what we love the most.
Luke 11:34
Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body.
Did you know that when you look at someone directly in the eyes, the chemical phenylethylamine is created in his or her body? This chemical makes a person feel love. If I compared the objects I look directly at throughout the day with my family members that I look directly at, which one would feel more love from me? Sometimes I think we are really good at being around the people we love without connecting with the people we love. Looking directly into our family’s eyes is a simple but powerful way to connect with them and make them feel important to us.
Because looking into my eyes makes me feel loved, I will assume that whatever you are consumed with looking at throughout the day is what is most important to you. Maybe even more important than me. If I am a child and you choose to look at your computer, the television, and your phone for hours every night, but you rarely glance my way, I am going to feel pretty far down on your love list. If I am your spouse and you look after everything in the house but me, then I might not feel like I’m worth much to you.
With so many distractions during my day, it is extremely easy to never really stop and focus on my loved ones. We may be in the same room, but I am not really saying with my body language that they are important to me. I have to purpose to go to them, engage with them, and look at them directly in their eyes. Once you start doing this, you may realize how little you actually did it before.
This is so, so simple, but could have profound effects on how connected you and your spouse feel with each other and how connected your children feel with you. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut, just going through daily routines. I want to enjoy my family, I want to engage my family, and I want to express to them how important they are to me by being aware of where I am gazing!
Father God, thank You for giving me this beautiful family. They are way more important to me than my phone, my computer, my apps, and my television. Please help me be aware of what I am communicating to them by where my attention is continually focused. Please give me the strength to get out of my comfort zone and take time each day to look into my family members' eyes. Thank You for the connections that will grow stronger as I do this.