Eyes

The clich? says that our eyes are gateways to our souls.  Today I discovered that it is not only our eyes, but also the eyes of every living creature that tells a story.
 
It was a three week old cheetah cub that talked the loudest.  As we came up in our Land-Cruiser in the southern edge of the Serengeti we spotted a cheetah with something bobbing along behind.  As the distance closed we realized it was a mother and her young cub.  Clearly shy and fearful the mother took off with enough fanfare that we knew we were supposed to follow.  The Land-Cruiser behind us did just that.  We realized we were hopelessly behind so we held to our original intercept course.  Within seconds the cub dived into the wheat colored grass for cover.  As we drove towards the cub was so motionless we were hardly sure we were on the right track.
 
At the instruction of our guide, Lucas, I climbed out of the Land-Cruiser and slowly made my way over to where the cub lay motionless.  As first I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen; a city boy, in the Serengeti, out own his own in the grass with a cheetah.
 
Then our eyes met.  Any fear I had was consumed by the compassion and desire to assure the cub that everything was going to be all right.  As we stared into each other’s eyes I could sense the cub becoming more and more relaxed and confident.  It was as if the cub knew that everything would be ok.
 
I wonder what it would be like to stare into the eyes of God.  Would my fear give me away?  Would my doubts consume me?  Would the realization of my ignorance paralyze me?
 
To you and to me God says, “I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven.  Anyone who eats this Bread will live—and forever!  The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self.”  (John 6.51)