An Illustration that didn't work for me

The other day I got into the car and a radio preacher was on. I am usually tuned to a country station, but Jeanette had the car before me and had it tuned to the local christian station. It was one of those short spots where a preacher tries to share a thoughtful, inspirational story meant to encourage the lives of the listeners. He shared this illustration: A story is told of a certain ruler and one of his subjects. The subject, a youth known for bad behavior was brought before the ruler. The youth it seems was becoming known for his participation in illicit activities. The ruler wanted to change the youth's outlook, and handed down this judgement. He told the youth that unless his behavior changed, he would be executed. To help him change, he was sentenced with the task of carrying a shelf throughout the city upon which were placed two pots of oil. If any of the oil spilled he would be executed by the two guards who would walk beside him. The young man agreed to the sentence, and walked through the crowded city, consentrating hard on his task - after all, his life was at stake. His eyes never strayed from the pots of oil perched on the shelf he carried. He accomplished the task set before him. Brought again before the ruler, he was asked if he spilled any . "Not a drop" the young man reported. "How did you acheive this?" the ruler inquired. "I paid attention only to the task set before me" he said. " I never took my eyes off those pots, and so no oil was spilled". "Well done" responded the ruler. "Learn that lesson for the rest of your life", he said, and sent the youth on his way. The radio preacher went on to say that that is how we should live our lives - with our eyes only on Christ - and thus we will be able to avoid any of life's temptations.

I get what the preacher was trying to get across. And I agree, we need to learn ways to avoid giving into temptations. But my first thought was "How sad". How sad that this young man went through the whole of a city, and saw nothing but the pots he carried. He saw nothing of poverty. He saw nothing of oppression. He saw nothing of suffering. Likewise he saw nothing of beauty, of kindness, of joy. Christ calls us, I believe, to be fully alert to life around us. He does not want us so to concentrate on just one thing, that we miss all other things. Keeping our eyes on Christ does not mean that we don't see the world around us. What it does mean, is that we are called to see the world through the eyes of Christ. May we learn to see with they eyes of Christ - see the beautiful things as well as the ugly, and by that have our lives changed.