Sermon Illustrations
Posted by Douglas on Mar 02, 2013

It has been interesting, in the last few months, to watch our baby boy develop. One thing that has fascinated me is how drastically his attitude toward us has changed. When he was a newborn, of course, he didn't understand the concept of a person, let alone a parent. If he looked at us, it was with unfocused, unseeing eyes.

Gradually he became able to focus on us, and then, as time went by, he began eagerly looking for us.

Now, at just over five months, he doesn't just look for us; he also is very much aware whether or not we are looking at him.

If we're not paying attention to him, he knows it. Often I'll be playing with him, and he'll be giggling and smiling and laughing, but if I so much as turn my head so I'm not looking at him, he begins to cry. Now, from across the room, he can tell whether or not I'm looking at him, and it matters to him whether or not I see him. What a change that is, in just a few months of development!

It made me think of that verse in Psalms:

17:8Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,Psalms 17:8 (ESV)

The "apple of the eye" is the pupil -- the small opening in the iris that lets light through to the retina. Metaphorically, it meansĀ "someone who is highly treasured." But more than that, it could be more literally translated as "the little man in the eye." It's the tiny reflection of yourself that you see in someone's eye when you are looking at them, and they are looking at you.

In other words, when David says, "Keep me as the apple of Your eye," he is asking God to never take His eyes off him.

My son, even as an infant, has already developed the desire for me (and Laura) to "keep him as the apple of our eyes" -- to keep looking at him. I think it's innate -- I think we're born with the hunger to be at the center of someone's attention. Of course, I can't always have my eye on him, and even Laura, who spends much more time with him than I do, can't have her eyes on him all the time.

But I look forward to being able to teach him someday about One of whom it can be said, "He always keeps you as the apple of His eye."

And in the meantime, I need to remember that the "little man in the eye" only appears when two people are looking at each other. So if I'm asking God to keep me as the apple of His eye, I'd better do my part, and not take my eyes off Him.

Popular tags
Christian life, Jesus, character, love, integrity, trouble, hiking, mountains, children, 1 Peter 2:4, foundation, heart, perseverance, sermon on the mount, 1 Peter 2:1, Philippians 4:8, music, faithfulness, heaven, contentment, the church, gifts, scripture, God's will, spiritual discipline, 2 Corinthians 3:18, renewal, art, salvation, human nature, hope, faith, Christmas, humility, devotion, sin, Romans 12:2, blessings, Psalms 103:13, 2 Peter 1:5, self-control, envy, creation, beauty, Matthew 6:26, light, Philippians 2:3, excellence, servanthood, strength, age groups, stability, Hebrews 12:2, teaching, 1 John 5:3, Titus 2:11, obedience, commandments, the gospel, generosity, death, selfishness, deceit, Colossians 4:6, listening, behavior, interpretation, responsibility, justice, Galatians 6:1, Philippians 4:11, materialism, John 8:34, Psalms 40:8, Luke 14:12, 2 Timothy 4:3, James 2:10, family, Romans 14:6, Titus 3:5, Ecclesiastes 4:9, power, Philippians 4:1, honor, meekness, Matthew 5:36, Isaiah 60:1, diligence, Psalms 17:8, Isaiah 40:4, grace, judgment, regeneration, fellowship, Ephesians 2:19, Philippians 3:20, 1 Peter 2:11, John 13:15, John 1:4, attention, John 1:23, 1 Peter 2:22, Galatians 6:5, Psalms 66:18, sojourners, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Hebrews 10:24, preaching, 1 Peter 2:6, Matthew 15:11, Matthew 28:19, John 14:3, comparisons, Romans 8:24, Matthew 11:30, Deuteronomy 32:4, prayer, John 10:1, Matthew 6:25, 1 Peter 2:2, disappointment, Matthew 10:5, Christ's return, Psalms 1:1, patience, Genesis 2:7, Matthew 15:18, Ecclesiastes 11:1, Jeremiah 17:9, voice, Matthew 6:34, Proverbs 25:8, John 11:35, discipleship, Revelation 22:20, counsel, Ecclesiastes 1:4, Ecclesiastes 7:2, John 6:38, the good shepherd, John 14:21, James 1:19, Psalms 95:8, public speaking, peace, resurrection, Luke 12:34, cooperation, 1 Corinthians 15:1, delayed gratification, 1 Peter 3:3, Ecclesiastes 11:4, math, 1 Peter 1:7, Hebrews 12:15, Matthew 18:3, Proverbs 3:5, grief, Luke 12:32, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Micah 6:8, Galatians 3:19, logic, suffering, work, anger, Titus 2:13, John 16:33, Psalms 51:7, trust, treasure, 1 Corinthians 12:22, John 14:24, James 5:5, the law, Psalms 50:10, 1 Peter 1:6, bitterness, 1 Corinthians 15:30, Titus 3:4, John 14:6, priorities, body of Christ, Isaiah 35:4, John 5:36, Deuteronomy 6:5, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Matthew 7:12, Colossians 1:15, 1 John 4:19, danger, Colossians 1:16, Philippians 2:12, Matthew 20:26, ambassadors, James 1:23, Romans 3:23, Philippians 4:9, golden rule, John 10:10, 1 Peter 2:19, cleansing, truth, Philippians 1:6, unity, Philippians 2:1, walking the talk, James 1:5, Revelation 5:2, imitating, context, 1 Peter 1:18, 1 Peter 2:21, Psalms 95:7, Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 25:13, Matthew 5:37, 2 Corinthians 9:6, James 1:17, Philippians 2:9, Colossians 3:12, wisdom, mind, Psalms 8:3, kindness, 1 Peter 1:17, Luke 2:10, Psalms 29:3, respect, culture, James 1:2, Matthew 22:37, Genesis 9:6, Proverbs 25:16, Psalms 73:18, 1 Peter 1:23, Incarnation, Psalms 29:9, John 4:34, Numbers 32:23, 1 Peter 2:12, gentleness, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalms 84:10, Proverbs 25:17, Psalms 73:2, Galatians 6:2, Epiphany, glory