Having Eyes for Others

When my husband and I fly together, he books our seats so that I am by the window and he is by the aisle.  I like to look at the landscape below or when tired, lean against the side. We also hope that the middle seat will not get booked and we will have a little bit more space. 

These days, flights seem to be full so the middle seat gets assigned to someone. Flying home from a weekend trip recently was no different. As we approached our row, the middle seat was already occupied by a small, heavyset, older woman. 

I gave the woman her seat buckle that was on my seat; she stated she was waiting for the expander. She went on to tell me that her husband died unexpectedly last year and this was her first trip going out on her own, visiting her sister whose husband has prostate cancer. 

I gave her my condolences as I busied myself getting situated. To be honest, when I fly I do not like to talk to people. I look forward to watching a movie if in-flight entertainment is available or reading a book. I got the sense she wanted to talk so I focused intently on my iPad.  

As I was watching my movie, God kept gently reminding me that she was a widow. Aside from still grieving, she was probably also very lonely. I heard Him tell me this but chose to watch my movie. I did not have the energy to engage.

Share or not

Because my husband flies a lot and I was with him, the flight attendant gave us each a free dark chocolate bar. I joked with the flight attendant about my addiction to them and she gave me another one. The lady next to me asked if we preordered them. I told her no, my husband flies a lot so they give them to him.

I put one of the bars in my bag and left the other on my tray. God prompted me to give it to her but I did not want to. Conflicted, I resumed my movie.

Eventually, I decided to offer the lady next to me the candy. I figured since I was not going to talk to her, the least I could do was give her the chocolate. She asked if I was sure. I nodded. Her face lit up.

When my movie ended, I  took out my book to read. I did not want the pretzels I was given so I asked my neighbor if she wanted them. I knew I was taking a chance engaging.

Engage or not

She took them, for later, and went on to tell me about how she needed to lose weight for health reasons. Among the details of her issues, she told me she had a professional that was going to help her. I said it is hard to make new habits stick so it was good that she had support to help her be successful. I reminded her even a baby step forward is a step forward and to be kind, and patient, with herself. 

She commented that people can be unkind because of her size and went on to tell  me a story of when she was a bus driver. She had lost 80 lbs and a male coworker extended his hand to help her down the steps.  Previously, when she was bigger, he did not have the time of day for her. She mentioned this to him.

The book sat on my lap, unopened. I could have stopped talking to her but I decided not to. 

She asked me if I liked dogs and since I said yes, proceeded to show me pictures of her dog as she shared stories.

Before I knew it, we were landing. 

Eyes that see

Many people are lonely and hurting. A small interaction, something as simple as a smile or a kind word, takes little effort and can bring so much joy. Maybe instead of ignoring God’s voice, that voice inside prompting you to do something, we listen to it and act promptly?

As we go about our day, can we go about it with eyes focused on others?  Can we slow down or go off-plan to notice another person, stranger or not? Can we say something nice to someone or simply give someone a smile? 

What ways can you think of to take our eyes off of ourselves and have eyes for others? Please take a moment and share in the comment section. Let us help each other be better at having eyes that see and a heart that extends kindness to others. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me eyes to see those around me. Open my ears to hear what you will speak. When I hear your voice, help me to not harden my heart in rebellion. Bring to mind widows I can support. Clothe me with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Psalm 85:8, Hebrews 3:15, James 1:27, Colossianns 3:12)