The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23
Ninety percent of our sensory stimulation comes through our eyes. If you take away someone’s sight, they lose ninety percent of their sensory input. Our minds take in what we see. Our minds then generate feelings and those feelings generate actions. For instance, if we see someone coming at us in a threatening manner, our minds generate feelings of fear and our bodies generate actions of protection.
What we see with our eyes is critical because what we see affects how we think and how we think affects what we do. When a person sees a nature scene, the mind generally should appreciate beauty, and the action of our body should be to relax. However, when our eyes see primarily violent images, like video games and movies, our minds become restless and our bodies cannot relax. So, seeing serenity after an excessive amount of violence might just leave our minds confused, unable to respond to serenity with relaxation.
A wise person once told me that if a person spends enough time sitting on a manure pile, they will get used to it, and when someone beckons them to step into the rose garden, they will stay with the manure, preferring it because that’s what they know and missing out on the beautiful smell of the rose garden. And a person whose eyes see violent images all the time will grow accustomed to the ugliness they are taking in and then when presented with beauty will reject beauty for ugliness, because that’s what the eyes are used to. It is what they grow to like.
The eyes of a person do not lie. We can lie with our mouths, but the eyes do not lie. They show who is joyful, who is sad, who is lost, confident, vacant. As a priest, one of my greatest blessings is to watch the transformation of eyes in the sacrament of confession. Eyes that come in looking downcast and ashamed, leave looking beautiful and hopeful. Eyes that have lied to the world and to the person whose they are, now find the peace that comes with being truthful. Eyes that look downcast and worthless become joyful as they are restored through repentance.
The eye is like a computer hard drive. It registers images of everything it sees. Things it sees frequently go on ready-recall, ready to be recalled at a moment’s notice. We’ve all gone to places that hold special memories for us. For instance, I can close my eyes and at any moment, see the details of the waterfront at summer camp, or the nuances of things in the altar at the church where I serve, I can see friends and family who I haven’t seen in a while because I have seen them so much in the past, their images remained burned into my consciousness. Both my parents passed away years ago, and I have pictures of them in my home and in my office. However, I have pictures of them in my mind—I can “see” those whenever I want.
We’ve all had the experience of having a song stuck in our heads all day. Images work in the same way. Our mind can frame an image of beauty or an image of ugliness and hold it in the front of our minds for a long time. This is why it is so important that we fill our minds with good images and that our eyes are focused on things that are wholesome and Godly. Again, because the eyes see, the mind processes and the body reacts appropriately. A visual intake of violence makes one more likely to be vulgar in speech or aggressive in action. It makes one more likely to be pessimistic and impatient. A vision of beauty makes one more likely to be peaceful, optimistic and patient.
Christ warns that if one is consistently intaking dark things, then the body becomes very dark. And though He doesn’t say it, the opposite is also true. If one is taking in visual stimulation that is beautiful and positive, they will be very light in their outlook.
I have written many times on the subjects of happiness and fulfillment. Happiness generally requires the endorsement of someone else. Fulfillment comes from within someone, irrespective of what others think or say. If everyone says I have a great car, that would make me happy, but if I had stolen the car, when I get home and look into my own eyes, I would see a thief, regardless of what the rest of the world sees. On the other hand, if everyone criticizes my car, that would not make me happy. But if I know I paid for the car with honest means, when I get home, I can look into my own eyes and know that I bought the car with hard-earned money, and my eye will be light regardless of what others have said about my car.
There is a saying that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool God any of the time, and we really can’t fool ourselves either. Look yourself in the eye, and when you look honestly, you’ll realize there is nowhere to hide. Because the eyes do not lie. They are actually window into our souls. To look deep into our eyes is to look deep into our own souls. Therefore, as we make efforts to keep our bodies in good shape, we also need to not neglect the health of our eyes, and that’s not just with the optometrist. If what the eyes take in is healthy and beautiful, the mind and the actions of the body will build off the images taken in by the eye.
The most beautiful part of the human body is the eye. It is not the heart or the soul—these are unseen. It is the eye. Though the eye is the window to the soul. Many people spend lots of time and money and effort trying to have the perfect body. And ironically, for many of the people who are in the best shape, their eyes are not pretty. The most beautiful part of the human body is the eye. And that’s why we must take care of our eyes—because what they see affects when we think, which affects what we do, which makes us either beautiful or ugly in the eyes of others, and especially in the eyes of God.
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For Thy steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to Thee. Psalm 26: 1-3
Point to ponder: If someone were to really look into your eyes, how would they describe them? When you look into your own eyes, how do you describe yourself? What do your eyes say about the state of your soul?
