Open Your Eyes

“When Elisha prayed: ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Our eyes are opened sometimes when we least expect it. My personal challenge is to understand those times when God is attempting to work through me and open my eyes. I am not always aware of His work in my life. But what a wonderful feeling when I do realize that He is speaking to me. At that point my life changes.

One example comes to mind. The office is not always the most conducive place for the Lord to work, but I now feel that He constantly works with us, anywhere we happen to be. One of my associates was a young man with a young family (wife and two children). He made a reasonable income (but significantly less than mine) that had to be stretched when he purchased a house and his wife stopped her employment to spend more time with their children. As you know, housing consumes a considerable portion of a family’s income in Northern Virginia.

I knew this person was active in his church, and we got into a discussion of stewardship one day. My personal journey through stewardship issues began by giving part of “my” income to the church and feeling that I “had to give up” something of mine in order to support my church. It was sort of an empty feeling and truly a feeling of sacrifice.

Something kept telling me that there had to be more to stewardship than this “empty” feeling. Over the past several years, I listened more intently to stewardship sermons, tried to find Bible passages regarding stewardship (some of them are VERY challenging) and participated in some outreach projects. In talking with my co-worker, I learned that he had been pledging and giving 10 percent of his income to his church. I found this unbelievable, as I knew he did not have ANY excess money and that his family would truly sacrifice for his giving. He told me about his own faith challenge regarding stewardship. He was taking the step of tithing from his net income to his gross income! This was a real shock for me and a true awakening. His income was a gift from God, he said, and he was just “sharing” some of the material blessings that he had received. This was a real joy for him and his family.

My eyes were opened, and since that time, I have viewed stewardship as a Joy, a Gift and a Responsibility. No longer do I consider it a “sacrifice.”

I appreciate the people who have entered my life and made a difference. I appreciate how many have “opened my eyes” and pray that I keep my heart open to God as He continues to work with me as I travel on my faith journey. This journey is becoming more and more exciting.

— Earl Mielke