Rachel Whisman

Lights are abundant this time of year. They captivate your attention. We are eager to point to them and say, “Look!” I have noticed recently though the other things that we want people to look at as we say…

“Look! I just got some new shoes.” 

“Look! This is my new car.” 

“Look! I found this new sweater on Amazon and it is so comfy.” 

“Look! I just got my hair cut.” 

“Look! Did you just see the way that person treated me?” 

Look! We hear it all the time. What are we looking at though? Where is our gaze being directed to? Is it directed at ourselves with our new purchases, opinions, problems, etc? I have noticed myself wanting to bring the conversation to me. I want to talk about myself and have it just stop there. But that was not what we were made for. We were made to bring the conversations to Christ. To point out the faithfulness of Jesus in the lives around us. We are a means to point people to look at Jesus. Christ is the light of the world. He is the one who captivates our conversations. He is where we should end up at because He is our hope. What if our conversations didn’t end with us, but continued on to Jesus? They might look like this. 

“Look! See what God has done.” 

“Look! I did not think I could endure that trial, but God was my strength.”

Look! God’s word was the only thing that comforted me when my anxious thoughts and feelings were many.”

“Look! Do you not see how kind the Lord was to you this past year by giving you a job.”

“Look! He is willing to help you. He wants to help you.” 

“Look! His word is a lamp to my feet. He will light my path. He will give me what I need today.” 

“Look! He did answer your prayer. Maybe not in the way you wanted to, but He answered it.” 

Just as the sparkling Christmas lights take our attention off ourselves, so should we with Christ. He is the backbone of our conversations. He is the one who has shown us love, kindness, gentleness, justice, forgiveness, grace, and so much more in every step of our lives. My prayer is that we would be “Looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). There is no greater beauty to gaze upon and direct your attention as well as other’s attention to.