Fresh Eyes...

DISCLAIMER: I am a huge believer in the power of God to speak to each of us through contemporary culture. I believe he uses the things that the world offers us to allow us a "Thin Place" to meet with him: that through these cultural moments he shows us glimpses of Himself, our potential, and of His purpose and Kingdom.

As far as music goes, I'm a Spotify kind of guy. I have been for a while now. The wife and I don't even own a CD player, though we're recently upgraded to a car that has one... Yes, you read that right... We had a cassette player in the old one! In fact, due to the fact that we were struggling to find cassettes with new music on, we found that it was easiest to plug in Spotify through my phone.

Anyway, the preamble just sets me up for talking about the "Discover Weekly" function that I've appreciated because it throws new music at me.

Listening this week I was bombarded with the following lyrics:

I got these fresh eyes, never seen you before like this
My God, you're beautiful
It's like the first time when we open the door
Before we got used to usual

It might seem superficial, stereotypical, man
You dress up just a little and I'm like, "Ohhh, damn"

So suddenly I'm in love with a stranger
I can't believe she's mine
Now all I see is you with fresh eyes, fresh eyes
So suddenly I'm in love with a stranger
I can't believe she's mine, yeah
And now all I see is you with fresh eyes, fresh eyes

Appreciation, well, it comes and it goes
But I, I'll ride that wave with you
It's human nature to miss what's under your nose
'Til you, 'til you remind a fool

Maybe all of this is simple
My heart's unconditional, yeah
You dress up just a little and I'm like, "Ohhh, damn"

So suddenly I'm in love with a stranger
I can't believe she's mine
Now all I see is you with fresh eyes, fresh eyes
So suddenly I'm in love with a stranger
I can't believe she's mine, yeah
And now all I see is you with fresh eyes, fresh eyes

If I could bottle this up, bottle, bottle this up, I would
I would bottle this up, bottle, bottle this up, I would
Cause you're gorgeous in this moment
If I could bottle this up, I would

So suddenly I'm in love with a stranger
I can't believe she's mine
Now all I see is you with fresh eyes, fresh eyes
So suddenly I'm in love with a stranger
I can't believe she's mine, yeah
And now all I see is you with fresh eyes, fresh eyes
Fresh Eyes, Andy Grammer

​What are you listening to? How is it impacting you? Is God using it to speak to you?

I'm not normally a fan of those "Jesus is my Boyfriend" moments, but this is different. This song sums up something I've been thinking about for a while.

Do you remember what God used to look like? Do you remember that moment you first saw Him for who he truly is? The passion and the excitement, the arousal perhaps that coursed through you when you recognised the grandeur and beauty of the maker of everything? "The first time when we opened the door, before we got used to usual"?

What happened? Where did that go?
​
If you're aything like me you probably tend to get complacent and familiar with God. You get so used to seeing Him that you forget to see the beauty.

Today I want to recommit myself to looking beyond the familiar to reminding myself that "My God You're Beautiful" (no comma).

Today I want to recommit to falling in love with a stranger who is unbelievably mine.

Today I want to recommit ot not settling for the conventional, taught or prescribed church theology and image of God, but to exploring and discovering more for himself... To being so in love that I don't want this stranger ot be a stranger anymore, but to delve deep enough to always discover the "strangeness" of God, so that the more I discover, the more I discover there is to discover and the more in love I fall.

God grant me fresh eyes...
Would you open them to what's under my nose, that I might be surprised daily by your beauty...
May I never become complacent and forever proclaim with a grateful heart "I Can't believe you're mine" and that I am yours...
God would you remind me of the mystery of you, and may that mystery fuel the fire to fall deeper in love with you...
Show me something new of you, remind me constantly of why my heart jumped when we first met...

​MY GOD YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!