Power

Power:

the right of governing,

authority given to a person to act

Have you guys ever seen The Prince of Egypt? I swear everyone around here grew up on that movie, and I had never seen it. Until this weekend, which is, naturally, why it's on my mind. (For those who don't know, it's the story of Moses as told in the book of Exodus.) There is a scene where a small conversation is held between Jethro and Moses.

Jethro: ...And let us also give thanks for the presence of this brave young man whom we honor here tonight.
Moses: Please sir, I wish you wouldn't. I've done nothing in my life worth honoring.
Jethro: First you rescue Tziporah. Then you defend my younger daughters from brigands. You think this is nothing? It seems you do not know what is worthy of honor.

Then, in true children's cartoon movie fashion, he breaks into a song that simultaneously time-lapses the next course of events. I love it. I really, really love this song. And I painstakingly worked to discover the trick to embedding something inside of a regular blog post--as you can see, I figured it out. Now, I would highly encourage you to take a moment for the pleasure of listening to "Through Heaven's Eyes," as sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell in The Prince of Egypt.

Catchy, right? But that's not the only reason that I love this song. I love the words. I feel like the message portrayed in this song is something that each of us could use a reminder of.

So how can you see what your life is worth

or where your value lies?

You can never see through the eyes of man--

you must look at your life,

look at your life through Heaven's eyes.

I find that it's all too easy to see only my shortcomings or only my merits. I tend to find myself on one extreme and overcompensate, leaving me on the other end. There are moments where a perfect balance is found, but they are only moments in passing. Moments that are nothing more than a point on a direct flight to one extreme or the other. But perhaps this moment can be lengthened--even made a destination, rather than a resting point--by seeing ourselves as God sees us. He sees us as we are. He sees our good and bad choices, our faults and our redeeming qualities. He sees our circumstances, He sees our joys and fears, and He sees our potential to become. He sees all of us, not just one portion.

Power comes from seeing your life "through Heaven's eyes." It comes from seeing yourself as you truly are--all things considered. It comes from recognizing that, yes, you have faults. Yes, you have imperfections. But, still, you are so good. You have done the best that you can and, when you fall short, you look to your Savior to make up the difference. Power comes from considering, not only your actions, but the honest desires of your heart (Dallin H. Oaks, The Desires of Our Hearts). Look through Heaven's eyes.

You are worth more than you think.

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