The Eye of the Beholder

We have officially been in Hawaii a full week now. We are getting settled into routines and unpacking has been minimized to just what comes in the mail that day. My poor parents were left with a room of boxes to send to us over the next few months. Still cheaper than a moving company, but a hassle all the same. Thanks to the home decorator's eye of a good friend, hard labor of another friend, an eye for a deal by my husband and friends, and then the random items I packed to fill our new home, things are starting to come together. 

It's funny how the brain rationalizes change. I'm sitting here with a cup of tea listening to the rain, and it rains every day in the valley, and thinking of how easy this final transition has been on the kids. When we walked into this house, it became home. We lived out of suitcases and the kids on an air bed for a few days. Eventually, I found a deal on beds I wanted for such a small space and we started really putting our mark on this home. We've gotten into a pretty good routine again with the kids' schoolwork as well.

We been bouncing between acting like tourists and like locals. We've made a couple of trips to see some sights but we've also walked around Kalihi just to learn where things are and get to know the town we now live in. On Monday, my "staycation" is over and I go back to work. We'll have to adjust our routines again, but hopefully it will be another easy transition.

 I have missed being home with my kids all day. I've been being able to kiss my husband hello after work. I've missed being able to run errands and clean house or work on a garden throughout my day. At the same time, I've missed interacting with my regulars. I've missed hanging out with my coworkers. I'm ready to go back to work but I'm just not ready to leave my family. Isn't that funny?

Perspective is a good thing. I have a servant's heart and I show love through my actions. By cooking or cleaning or interacting with my family, I share my love. It's the same at work. I show my appreciation for my job, for my customers by devoting time to each of them. To me, it's a beautiful thing. I've been reading some sermons online as we've yet to find a church close by and I wanted to share part of one with you:

It's true: beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as the adage goes, "The eyes are the window to the soul." Even Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 6:22-23 (Living Bible translation): "If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your soul. But if your eye is clouded with evil thoughts and desires, you are in deep spiritual darkness. And oh, how deep that darkness can be!"

Spiritual vision is our capacity to see clearly what God wants to do in our lives. But this spiritual insight can be easily clouded by our thoughts and desires. Self-serving desires, interests, and goals block that vision and cause us to see everything in a negative light.

I think author Ed Rehbein said it best: "A 'clear' eye is healthy, whole, pure and unspotted. A person with a clear eye has a wholesome outlook--he sets his focus on that which is good. Consequently, he fills himself with light. 'Light' is a figure of speech describing things that are good in life such as truth, righteousness and purity--even God and Jesus are called light (1 John 1:5 & John 1:4). So a clear eye opens the window of your soul to the sweet Light of Life."

I want so much to see the world through God's eyes. I want the same compassion and love found in His eyes to be revealed in mine as well. Instead of finding fault in others, I want to see their true beauty. Instead of focusing on weaknesses, I hope to make an effort to search for strong points.

One of my new favorite sayings

Here's to living well, my friends! Aloha!🌺