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Windows to the Soul -- Abigale Bell

 


"So he opened his eyes, and his soul was stabbed with a wound more deadly than any which the gladiator, whom he was so anxious to see, had received in his body." (Augustine, 122)

We've all heard the saying, "...the eyes are the windows to the soul...". I think Augustine's words from book 6 of the Confessions are a great example of this idea.  When Augustine speaks of his friend Alypius, he explains the great temptation of gladiatorial games Alypius dealt with. It all began when he opened his eyes and allowed himself to become caught up in the excitement of the game; when he allowed his soul to be corrupted by the desire for excitement. 

"The din had pierced his ears and forced him to open his eyes, laying his soul open to receive the wound which struck it down." (Augustine, 122)

These words are reminiscent of a passage of scripture from Psalm 141. Verse 8 says, "But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute."

Here, the psalmist clearly distinguishes the connection between the eyes and the soul. Augustine is admonishing that people be careful of what they look at, lest their soul should become corrupted. He shows how easy it is for one to become caught up in worldly pleasures and so damage the soul. The psalmist is pleading the inverse. He looks intently upon the Lord so that he will not be tempted by worldly pleasures. He worries that if his eyes leave God, his soul will be laid bare to the caustic temptations of the world. 

Another connection I made from this passage of the Confessions is to one of my favorite hymns. The chorus goes: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim; In the light of His glory and grace..." These words remind me that my eyes are truly windows to my soul. If I keep my gaze fixed on Him, the things of the world will grow "strangely dim" and my soul will be filled, instead, with His light. 

Commented on Braylan's and Emmett's posts.


Comments

  1. Emmett BryantFebruary 1, 2021 at 11:58 AM

    Your post explains the importance of keeping our eyes upon Jesus. I really enjoyed that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 1, 2021 at 3:38 PM

    I love how to tied the Bible verse to the passage from Augustine. We all know the saying "You are what you eat." But, we also are what we see.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Braylan StringfellowFebruary 1, 2021 at 4:31 PM

    I agree that we do need to keep our eyes on Jesus. If we focus on Him and not the things of this world, a lot of our problems would disappear.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rachael GregsonFebruary 1, 2021 at 6:45 PM

    I really love how you wrote on keeping the eyes on the right thing-specifically Jesus-and the rest will be taken care of. It reminds me of a quote from a book I read a couple of years ago. It was called The Art of Racing in the Rain and it was ironically about a dog who wanted to race cars like his owner. In it, the dog says in regards to what he has observed about the sport, "In racing, they say that your car goes where your eyes go."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emma Kate PattersonFebruary 2, 2021 at 10:45 PM

    I really like that you pointed out the temptation of the games because I believe in today’s world there are so many things to be tempted by. It is hard to stay focused on our faith and not be tempted by the world around.

    ReplyDelete

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