How Can Your Eyes Shine God’s Light?

 Bible, Women & Bathrobes, Episode 35

Sermon on the Mount, Part 18

Summary

Tamara, Amy and Kari talk about Matthew 6:22-24, emphasizing the importance of having a single or sincere eye, without guile or deceitful cunning. They discuss how you can see light and darkness in people’s eyes and share their personal experiences and insights on navigating the ongoing battle between light and darkness in their lives, emphasizing the importance of surrounding oneself with light and purity, and making intentional choices to reflect God's light. They also discuss recognizing and overcoming inner conflicts and distractions in faith, prioritizing God's love, rooting out negative traits, and maintaining a strong spiritual foundation to resist the adversary's attacks.

Main Takeaways

• From Amy, “If my eye is single on the Savior, not on how I'm going to make the bills, not on how I'm going to fix my child's situation, not on how I'm going to whatever my problem is right now--then I involve light. I'm serving the Lord. I'm happy when that happens. And I just I just think that's what it's all about. I'm single--I got my eye on the Lord and He takes care of everything else, then I don't end up being contentious and full of darkness. I'm just happy and me.”
• From Kari, “If our eye is single, meaning that you can blur out everything else around you and focus on Christ, then those other pieces fall into place. And we don't have to worry about those distractions that are constantly moving. Because you see where you're headed.”
• From Tamara, “How great is our God! Seriously. His light can pierce the darkest moments. I'm thankful for his mercy because I am far from perfect. And I'm thankful to know that he can help me repent and keep trying because I, like both of you, get distracted easily. And sometimes I feel like, as Amy said, a double agent sometimes, especially in those moments of weakness. But how great is our God that he's prepared a way for us to escape those moments of darkness, and try again.”

Today’s Podcast Hosts & Guests

Tamara K. Anderson

Tamara, founder of Women Warriors of Light, is a dynamic speaker, award winning author, and a podcaster. She is driven by her Christian faith to inspire faith in Jesus Christ. Alongside her husband, Justin, she navigates the joys and challenges of parenting four children with autism, ADHD, and mental health hurdles. You can find out more about Tamara on her website: https://www.tamarakanderson.com/

Karalee Anjewierden

Karalee Anjewierden is an author, motivational speaker, and fulfilled mother of six. She has appearanced on several podcasts and presented at various retreats and events. Karalee is an avid story seeker, passionate about connecting with people and places. She loves to travel and does so extensively, collecting new and wonderful stories, friends, and miracles she can share along the way. Find her online at www.pocketmiracles.com She is also on Instagram and Facebook @karaleeanjewierden 

Amy Johnson

Amy is a member of our Women Warriors of Light Advisory Board. She is a leader of women, a homemaker, and a licensed cosmetologist. Amy enjoys nurturing women through betrayal trauma to becoming a beacon of support and inspiration.

Transcript

If you’d like to read the transcript of today’s episode, you can find it on our Women Warriors of Light website blog. Link in the bio.

Kari Anjewierden  0:00 

Have you ever looked in someone's eyes and seen joy and light or perhaps anger and darkness? Today we are going to talk about those verses where Jesus Christ talks about the light of the body being in the eyes and what that means for us today, so stay tuned.

Tamara Anderson  0:22 

Welcome to Bible Women & Bathrobes the podcast where faith meets comfort. Join us Tuesday and Thursday morning. As the gals from Women Warriors of Light and their guests, don bathrobes and dive into the inspiring stories of women in the Bible, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. From Esther's bravery to the Sermon on the Mount. We explore it all with warmth, laughter, sisterhood, and maybe even a few sleepy eyed moments. tune in live or at your leisure as we learn lessons from scripture which empower women today.

Tamara Anderson  1:04 

Welcome to another episode of Bible Women & Bathrobes, I am your host, Tamara K. Anderson. And joining me today are two wonderful members of our Women, Warriors of Light Advisory Board, Kari Anjewierden and Amy Johnson. Welcome, ladies.

Kari Anjewierden  1:21 

Thank you.

Amy Johnson  1:22 

Great to be here.

Speaker 1  1:24 

We are so excited to talk to you guys. And we are been going through the Sermon on the Mount just a few verses at a time. And today we are finally to Matthew chapter six, verses 22 through 24. And so we are going to be talking about eyes and light and darkness and serving masters and stuff like that.

Tamara Anderson  1:45 

So let's start off with this first verse. Actually, I'm going to read both of them that I'm going to start with 22 and 23. And then we'll pause there and talk about what that means. It says in verse 22, "The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore the light that is in thee is darkness, how great is that darkness." And I'm just going to open that up for thoughts or words that popped out of you as I was reading that, and how it applies to us today. Amy, let's kick it off with you.

Kari Anjewierden  2:36 

I love that word single. The Greek translation for that is actually healthy, sincere, or without guile. And so if I, if I read that and say, If therefore thine eye be healthy. That brings whole new image in for me. Or if I read it and say, if thine eye, if therefore thine eye be sincere. I love that we've talked before about how we do if we do things without a sincere heart, we do them kind of mocking or flipping flippantly. That changes everything. But then if you read it, if therefore thine eye be without guile, and guile means deceitful cunning. And so if thine eye, whenever I think of the eye, obviously, I often think of looking at someone else. And I think sometimes we look at

Amy Johnson  3:44 

 Somebody said the other day, in a meeting I was in, she said, We're never the villain of our own story. And I've thought about that a lot, the past week and a half. And I've thought about that when we look at someone else we often see the villain in them, so to speak, the Guile in them, the unhealthiness in them, the insincerity in them. But when we look at ourselves, what do we see?

Amy Johnson  4:13 

And so I think for me, what I really love about this is, the light of the body is the eye. if therefore thine eye be single or without guile. When I look at someone else, and compare what is real. When I look at things as they really are, am I looking at that deceitful cunning? Years ago, there was a talk that I used to listen to over and over again to try and get this through my thick skull. That we need to be really mindful to not excuse ourselves through clever cleverness, and then demonize someone else right.

Amy Johnson  4:57 

And I think for me, that's what the This looks like. Because when I think about this, Jesus, when I think about him looking at me, I see him looking at me with joy, and with love. But when I look at someone else, am I looking at them with joy? And with love? Or am I looking at them with deceitful cunning? Mm.

Speaker 1  5:21 

Wow, some really good insight there, Amy, thank you

Kari Anjewierden  5:26 

Years ago, my niece as she was probably eight or nine months, and her eyes wouldn't focus. And we knew something was wrong. My sister took her in and she, they rushed her, immediately took her into surgery, she had a tumor. Oh. And one of the things that the doctor said to my sister was, you can tell a lot about the body through the eyes. I thought that was so interesting.

Kari Anjewierden  6:04 

Because years later, I met a woman, I was somewhere with my girls. And, and we were sitting. I can't remember if we were sitting in front or behind this woman, it doesn't matter. Anyway, as we got up to go, she turned to them and said, Wow, your eyes are so light. It's I can see it. So it really is a way that people can know us too.

Kari Anjewierden  6:38 

I think is through that there was a man that I met, I was probably around 18 I was in cosmetology school, and this was a husband of one of my friends. And he would come through the door. And that man, his eyes were like steel, there was no light in them at all. Like a cloud followed him in a cloud followed him out. It was so palpable, because his wife was just the opposite. She was happy, she was fun, she was light. So, to see them next to each other was so jarring, something that I have remembered my whole life.

Kari Anjewierden  7:36 

And so, when I think about this, the light of the body is the eye it is something palpable it is something we can see. And am I exuding light or am I exuding darkness? And I like to add, you know, therefore thine eye be single. What do I want to be single to, I want to be single to the glory of God. I want to be That's the light, I want to be exuding all the time is his light and his love. And and if I am trying to do that, then my whole body can be full of light. If I'm doing it just on my own, I may not feel that full of light, but he can make me that you know, the beacon on the hill, but the light of the candlestick. Right? pointing people to God.

Kari Anjewierden  8:49 

I those are some of the thoughts that I had. And then this morning as I was reading, I was reading in Romans 13. And in verse 12, it talks about the days at hand, "let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. And let us put on the armor of light." It's an armor. That the things that we take in the things that we allow into our body because the eyes also are our entrance to our bodies, right? What are the things that we're putting on? What are the things that daily we are allowing to come into our body? Are we armoring with God's light? Or are we filling our bodies with other things that don't matter much?

Speaker 1  9:51 

Yeah, I love that. Gosh, both of you have such amazing insights here. And the thought I had as I was listening to you. Just adding to what we've been talking about is that this is kind of what Women Warriors of Light is all about. You know is that we want to add that greater light into ourselves. And that we are facing a daily battle. This is a daily battle we all face in here and mortality, that battle between light and darkness.

Tamara Anderson  10:25 

And I know as I was teaching this concept to my children years ago, and I've told this story before in Women Warriors of Light, but I will tell it here on the podcast as well. That is, I was pondering how I could teach my children how to add more light to themselves. I was thinking about, Okay, do we just add cups of water? Like, okay, I'm reading my scriptures, there's a cup of water and saying my prayers, and there's a cup of water? And how does that work? Because sometimes I feel like my well is empty, you know? And God simply told me, Tamara, that is not how it works. And of course, I was like, well, then tell me how it works. Because here I am some 40 something year old lady, and I'm trying to figure this out, you would think I'd have it figured out by now.

Tamara Anderson  11:09 

But he simply taught me that each of us has like almost a spiritual umbilical cord that connects us to God, and He is the source of all light. And that we each control that dimmer switch on how much light we're letting in to our bodies into our souls. And some people have that turned way off-- like that guy, you were talking about Kari. And I've met people whose eyes are dark. It's a choice, it really is a choice.

Tamara Anderson  11:41 

And there's every choice we make, allows either more light into our lives into our souls into our eyes, or it diminishes it. And so when we pause and think about the choices that we make, that kind of brings it into sharper focus of this is really what it's doing to me. Is it helping me increase my armor and make it strong? Or is it diminishing my armor? Is it diminishing my light? And we're going to have things that are thrown at us every day that are diminishing our light? And so do we are we connected to that source that will replenish that light?

Tamara Anderson  12:24 

Sometimes there's things that happen in our lives that I call them brightness blockers, and we have to remove them. And you know, sins or hardships that we've been through that feel like boulders that are resting on us. And so we have to learn to heal from those and process those. And thank goodness, we have good friends and therapists that we can chat with, work things through and God. And oh my goodness, he has been a great listener for me. But there are things that he can help us remove, so that there can be greater light and in our hearts and our souls. Because we do we need him so badly in this world of darkness.

Tamara Anderson  13:09 

Yeah, Satan knows this battle is almost over. And he's fiercely attacking. Right? Oh my goodness, it's one of those hard hard things. But but the good news is, is that none of us are beyond saving, even if we feel very, very dark right now we are not beyond the rescuing Light of God. That he can, all we have to do is call out. And he will hear and he will save and he will infuse us with His light.

Kari Anjewierden  13:40 

And I can I make a comment here?

Tamara Anderson  13:43 

Yeah, please!

Amy Johnson  13:44 

 anybody who loves the sun, as much as I do knows that, when you're going to lay out and absorb the sun yourself, you want to surround yourself with something white, or water. Right? Something that will reflect the light and send it into you who's the darkest thing. And if you lay on a black trampoline, the black will absorb the light. And so when I think about this, I always think about how what am I surrounded myself with that will reflect the light of Christ and put it into me? Instead of what will what am I surrounding with that might absorb that light and literally swallow it up instead of reflect it to me, right?

Amy Johnson  14:33 

And also, am I becoming the kind of person who is reflecting his light? Or am I just taking the goodness he gives me and hiding it under a bushel bushel so to speak and absorbing that that light? And so I love that idea of surrounding myself with purity and with goodness and things and like like I said. Anybody who knows me knows that in the winter I'm not The same as I am in the summer. I love water. I love sunshine. I love all things pure.

Amy Johnson  15:08 

And so when the darkness of the winter comes in this inversion, the smog and the and the cold it's I'm I'm it's a real struggle. My husband and I have been talking about how can we mitigate those effects this year coming up, we're trying to be really mindful of that. And so people who know me know that sometimes I flee the country, because I can't, I don't do very well in the winter months. Because that darkness doesn't reflect the light onto me. But it's the exact same thing when I am choosing things like violence, immorality, to watch those things, to read those things when I'm choosing those things, over the things that bring in light and purity and goodness.

Speaker 1  16:04 

Yeah, let's go to verse 24. It says "No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." So this talks about that battle between light and darkness, you can't straddle it, you have to fall on one side of the fence or the other. You know what I mean? That's kind of what he is talking about here. Who are you choosing to prioritize? Let's start with you, Kari, what are your thoughts on how this applies to us today?

Kari Anjewierden  16:41 

Well, I want to go back to this story I was telling you about this man. He was a church going man. He was a church going man, but you could see physically that he had chosen something else. He was not full of the light of God. He was not, he was an angry person. And he chose to be, right? And and I guess that's why that has stuck with me so much over the years is we, we can trick ourselves into thinking no one will ever know. No one will ever be able to tell. But we, it's a physical it physically affects your body. So it is something that we can't hide from. We can't hide if we live-- certainly he knows all things. And, and so and he knows our hearts and it comes down to that where's your heart? What are those things that you desire? And? And that tells you?

Kari Anjewierden  18:14 

We were talking a while ago, Tamara, about treasures that tells you your treasures, right? What are those things that are on your heart? Are they things of eternity? Are they things of the world? What are those things and and how are they affecting you? And what do they cause you to do? Because this talks about love and the love of God. He wants to give us everything. He wants to spread that love everywhere. The adversary would do the opposite, right? He wants us to be miserable. He wants to suck that love out of everything that like that.

Kari Anjewierden  19:07 

And so where does that love take us? Are we trying to take love from other people? Are we trying to make them miserable? Or are we trying to lift them and like them and love them in such a way that that they can see who we really aren't. It really tells who we really are there?

Tamara Anderson  19:38 

yeah, love it! Amy.

Amy Johnson  19:43 

It really does tell who we really are and I was just thinking about how many of us are double agents.

Speaker 2  19:50 

I love that Amy. Amen.

Amy Johnson  19:55 

I don't mean to be.

Tamara Anderson  19:56 

No

Amy Johnson  19:59 

because any One who's listening to this podcast clearly wants to say I'm on the Lord's side. But I think sometimes when I get contentious with my spouse or my, okay, right now, it's just my spouse because my kids have moved out and they're perfect. Now, they're angels. But if if I if I get contentious, then doesn't that put me as a double agent? Does that put me promoting, contention is of the devil, right?

Amy Johnson  20:39 

But I don't know if you've ever looked up the word mammon, I, I was always taught growing up that it was money, right. But if I just looked it up, and it says, wealth regarded as an evil influence, or false object of worship and devotion. But here's what's interesting, it says, it was taken by medieval writers as the name of the devil of covetousness. Covetousness. That's a fun word to say.

Amy Johnson  21:09 

And so what what things lead me to appear as though I am a double agent? What, what what am I doing? Am I jealous? Am I am envious, am I contentious? Am I, what because I don't truly believe, I had a teacher back when I was in 10th or 11th grade, that's 11th grade. And he used he's been a police officer before he began teaching religion. But he said, It's been my experience that good people, bad people are good most of the time. And I kind of that really hit me, I have kind of lived by that law. Bad people are good most of the time.

Amy Johnson  22:03 

So I really believe that most of the time, we are good people. But every once in a while we do stuff that makes us appear like we're working for the other side. And so I think for me, I truly do want to serve the Lord in everything I do. So what I need to be doing, I think, is watching for the moments where I might appear to be working for the other side, and then root those things out of my life.

Kari Anjewierden  22:38 

I love that Amy!

Speaker 1  22:40 

Not really, I love that concept of the double agent. Okay, that's a really good way to say it in modern terms, right? Because we can't serve both God and Satan at the same time, but because we're on the Lord's side and choose to choose Him as our God, I think that paints a big target on our backs for the adversary. You know that he is constantly attacking us, I see him firing arrows and hatchets and swords and any kind of medieval tortures device that he could find to whack our way. And so And he's, he's always on the lookout for when we're feeling sad or discouraged. And he those are the times he chooses to attack with full force.

Tamara Anderson  23:32 

And so I think those are things we need to be vigilant of, of when we're feeling down or discouraged, and, and then, gosh, I don't know about you guys. But when I'm hungry, when I'm tired, I am not the best wife, mom or friend, I'll just be 100% honest, if I wear myself out, I am not behaving my best. And and so I think that's actually one of the adversaries biggest tactics today is to have us run ourselves so ragged, that physically we are worn out and more susceptible to his attacks.

Tamara Anderson  24:14 

So I think we can choose the Lord but still be susceptible to the adversaries attacks, but we have to be mindful of taking care of ourselves so we are less susceptible to his attacks. Take care of yourself physically. That's what God wants you to do. We want you to be able to be your best self to serve him more. Clearly, you know as as he is our master, you know. But when we wear ourselves out too much, it's hard. We lose our focus. And we're easy more easily distracted by being hungry or tired. Or, Oh my gosh, having been a young mother those young mothering days. Oh, My goodness, where you are just functioning on like two hours of sleep, and even that was broken up, you know what I mean? You're exhausted.

Tamara Anderson  25:07 

So first of all, give yourself a little grace. We are dealing with bodies that are mortal. But also be mindful that this is one of the tools the adversary uses. So plead for the wisdom to care for yourself so that you can be more, have your eye more single on the things of God, right? That it can stay more focused all the time. But we are also going to dip. And that's thank goodness, that's why, why we have Jesus right? And his grace and mercy because we are going to make mistakes. And we need him to help us when we, you know, when that light dims to bring it back up to where we want it to be. I think God knows the desires of our heart, I truly do. Alright, guys, well, let's wrap this up. And final takeaways, and then we'll move on. Any thoughts? Takeaways, let's start with Amy.

Kari Anjewierden  26:09 

Yeah, I, I just have been sitting here, thinking about the things that really do cause us to me, can we just talk about me for that cause me to diminish or to dip down and, and one of them literally is fear of how I'm going to live from day to day. And that's where that money comes in. And that Mammon in that covetousness. And what has become my God. And I remember when I was young, sitting with my kids, all around me, because I had five kids in six years. So they were just everywhere, and sitting at the computer and being focused on the finances, and how we're going to get from point A to point B, and how I was going to have enough to pay the bills and put food on the table and all the things and, and I remember that being constantly, in my mind constantly an obsession constantly, like the focus of my mind, and, and as a result, then anytime that my husband did something that was negatively affecting that or wasn't doing something that was positively affecting it, then my go to was to come to him with all my fears and concerns, and he was already concerned out of his brain and then fight would ensue and don't have contention, and then no more peace in the home and all the things and instead.

Amy Johnson  27:42 

I think really, if we look at these things, my takeaway is, if my eye is single, a couple of years ago, when I was raising my kids, my dad sat down with one of my children who was struggling and said, when I was little, when I was young boy, this farmer had me working on his fields. And he told me that to get in the tractor and drive it and plow the rows. And I didn't know how to do that. And he said, All you got to do is keep your eye on that fence post for your first row, just drive straight toward that fence post, don't take your eye off it. And he said, then every time else, that'll be a straight line. And you can just follow the straight lines, and it worked.

Amy Johnson  28:23 

And he taught and taught my child about the Savior, and how when we keep our eye on the Savior, then we don't end up going like this, where even through the fields, we just go straight. And we stick to the middle of the row. And we do what we need to do. And I think that for me, that's where I'm at, if my eye is single on the Savior, not on how I'm going to make the bills, not on how I'm going to fix my child's situation, not on how I'm going to whatever my problem is right now. Then I involve light. I'm serving the Lord. I'm happy when that happens. And I just I just think that's what it's all about. I'm single, I got my eye on the Lord and He takes care of everything else, then I don't end up being contentious and full of darkness. I'm just happy and me.

Tamara Anderson  29:17 

Oh! Kari

Kari Anjewierden  29:18 

I love that. I love that. Because I for me distractions. They're they're so consuming sometimes and and those are those things right that take us, our eye off of Christ. And using your thought about doing a straight row with a tractor I mean, what if a squirrel runs in front of you? what if you know... Then your eyes gonna go. But you're exactly right if if our eye is single meaning that you can blur out everything else around you and focus on Christ, then those other pieces fall into place. And we don't have to worry about those distractions that are constantly moving. Because you see where you're headed. And, and these other things you're not seeing, right they they become a blur.

Kari Anjewierden  30:34 

And, and I agree that I think, but God didn't expect us to come and be perfect. He expected us to try each day. And I think that's also where this comes is. We're trying to be single, we're trying in our mortal state to, to remember every day to be looking to Him. Because that isn't easy to do that every day all the time. There are so many distractions, and Satan is so good at them. He knows what pushes our buttons, he knows how to get us going. And and so having our heart be with God will help us to be full of his light that helps us to be more single to him, and to be able to turn those things to him and to not be caught up in the busyness, the chaos of the things going around us.

Kari Anjewierden  31:45 

Again, that idea of Peter, right, is he's wanting to walk on water and he's starting to fall. And all he has to do is look up and take Christ hand. The storm still raging. That didn't stop the storm raging. But that focus changed everything for him.

Tamara Anderson  32:11 

Yeah. Oh goll, you guys are so great to hear this podcast. So thank you. I love your insights and love your wisdom. Honestly, as I'm wrapping as we're wrapping this episode up, I think my biggest takeaway is how great is our God! Seriously. That he can, his light can pierce the darkest moments. I'm thankful for his mercy because I am far from perfect. And I'm thankful to know that he can help me repent and keep trying because I, like both of you, get distracted easily. And sometimes I feel like like Amy said a double agent sometimes, especially in those moments of weakness.

Tamara Anderson  33:04 

But how great is our God that he's prepared a way for us to escape those moments of darkness, and try again. Just like the sun rises every morning every day is a new day, and we can repent and keep moving and keep drawing his light into our lives. So don't give up if you feel you're in a dark place. Keep moving forward. Choose light. Choose God. Keep your focus on him. And you will get through anything with his help.

Tamara Anderson  33:36 

Thanks for tuning in to Bible Women & Bathrobes hosted by Women Warriors of Light. We've loved exploring the stories of remarkable women or the teachings of the Savior today with you. If today's episode brought someone special to mind, be sure to spread the word. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss a moment of inspiration and sisterhood. Just a friendly reminder, all opinions we share are entirely personal as we are trying to decipher and apply Bible teachings just like you are. Until next time, stay faithful. And may Your journey be blessed and illuminated by God's love.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai