Fresh set of eyes

In the work environment when we struggle with a problem sometimes the best solution is to get a "fresh set of eyes".  When we've stared at a problem for days, months or even years with little to no progress, a new perspective from someone else may be just the thing we need to get over the hump.

When it comes to achieving joy in our lives we may feel like our problems just perpetuate, that there's no real solution in sight.  Why am I not really happy with my life?  What can I do to get the kind of life I want?  No matter what we try or what we indulge, there's still that nagging emptiness that we just can't seem to fill.  I bet most of us will reach out to a close friend or that one family member who may be able to provide us all the answers, a new perspective if you will.  But how often are we frustrated when that go-to person can't make any more sense of our lives than we can?

As a child I saw the world in a particular way.  All things were fresh and new, as if they had never happened to anyone before.  The joy and excitement found in life's adventures filled me up and sustained me through my childhood.  But as I grew into adulthood it was easy to become disenchanted with life.  The same old same old didn't do it any more.  It was easy for me to fall into that trap of trying to grasp that next big thrill in order to fill some perceived hole in my life.

But along came fatherhood.  As a new father many of the same things I experienced as a child I now had the opportunity to see through the eyes of my daughter.  Disneyland, Christmas, days at the beach or the park - they all brought back distinct memories for me as a child.  But when I had the chance to experience them all over again through the eyes of my daughter it brought a whole new unique experience for me, a different, more fulfilling joy than I ever experienced as a kid.  Maybe it was maturity but most folks that know me would laugh at that conclusion.  I believe God opened my mind and my heart to see, "with new eyes", the life I was actually blessed with.  

Now with the arrival of my second grandson I'm experiencing the thrill of life all over again through the eyes of my two precious little boys.  Seeing my oldest grandson play with an empty box, pushing race cars across the floor, or just tossing a ball have filled me with an incomprehensible joy because I'm seeing life through his eyes.  The joy I feel is his joy in experiencing all things new.

Perhaps that's the trick.  Maybe we just need to put a fresh set of eyes on the life that's being experienced by the ones we love.  I'm not going to say I'm an old guy but I am old enough to know I've been around the block a few times and that REAL joy isn't necessarily found in my own personal pursuits but in the adventures of my little grandsons.

So this Thanksgiving season I wish to say that I'm so incredibly grateful and so incredibly blessed that I've been given new eyes to see the beauty and joy that's in this world.