If the Eye is the Window to Your Soul...

There is a phrase that goes something like, "The eye is the window to your soul." Apparently no one is quite clear on the origins of the quote, as it has been said by many greats throughout the ages, in various forms. Some want to attribute it to the Bible, but they would be disappointed. It's not there. Not in that exact wording, anyway. I'll get to the similar verses in a minute, but first let me explain why I'm thinking about this phrase at all.

To begin, I want to say I'm not pointing fingers. I'm not judging anyone. I'm simply processing what God has laid on my heart about what I deem acceptable to see with the eyes He so graciously blessed me with.

As you may have heard, the movie adaptation of the book "Fifty Shades of Grey" is scheduled to come out on Valentine's Day 2015. I won't climb onto my soapbox about the mockery of true love and relationships that this movie release date offers. Blogger Matt Walsh did climb on his soapbox over on his blog though and I encourage you to read it. Good stuff.

I proudly admit I have not read the book nor will I ever read the book. I heard enough about it and read enough excerpts that I knew my eyes would never grace the pages of a book known for the things this book is known for. Maybe that's not being fair to it or to the author---letting someone else's opinion sway me--- but that's too bad. I don't need to be sprayed by a skunk to know a skunk stinks and I should steer clear of them. I don't need to wade through a garbage dump to know how disgusting and smelly it would be. Same goes with "Fifty Shades." I don't need to read the book myself to know it is not something I should be reading.

And if I shouldn't read the book, there is no doubt in my mind I shouldn't see the movie. Why? Because, like the phrase I started this blog with says, "the eye is the window to your soul."

Jesus put it like this in Matthew 6:22-23: "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness."

I think it's also important to read the verses immediately prior to these words, because Jesus was talking about eternal treasures. (Matthew 6:19-21)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Eyes. Hearts. Treasures. They all go together. Hand in hand, if you will. What your eyes see, the rest of your body takes in and has to deal with. Pornography (or mainstream movies that might as well be labeled porn) is first seen with the eyes but we all know the body quickly follows. The explicit images are seared into our minds and remain there, whether we want them to or not. The Enemy of this world is a master at bringing stuff like that to the forefront of our memories, often causing people to go where they should not go, in mind and body. But if the images were never put there in the first place, he can't use them against us. It's that simple.

Paul told us what we should be doing instead: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent and praiseworthy -- think about such things." Philippians 4:8. Other translations say, "Fix your thoughts" or "dwell on these things."

Basically, what Paul is saying is don't waste your time on garbage like "Fifty Shades" or other things you know don't fit the description in the above verse. Fill your eyes with light instead of darkness. Jesus called himself "the Light of the world" in John 8:12. In John 12:46 he says, "I have come as Light into the world." The world offers far too much darkness and threatens to block out the Light if we let it. It's our choice, though. What we choose to see through our eyes will be part of our body forever.

So, the question we all have to answer is, if the eye is the window to your soul, what are you allowing into your soul?

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