Eyes Always Watching Us

Exodus 15:26 – He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

​Against the far corner of the room stood an old grandfather clock. Its topmost part housed the clock works and almost reached the ceiling. The clock was made of a light-colored wood with glass etchings covering the clock face. The chimes hung gracefully and traveled ever downward with each movement of the pendulum. The clock served as a commanding general handing out commands with each beat, and she felt like she was always being watched. It was as if the General was pointing his finger at her and bending down to catch her in the act of taking even a short break. And so, it drove her onward with each sound of the clock. When the chimes rang out, at quarter, half, three-quarter and hour they always made her jump. She thought of moving the clock into a more secluded part of the house instead of in the living room which she passed through during the day. You see, she did not leave her home each day to venture out into the world to her job, because she was a writer and her home was her workplace. And so, the General’s eyes were ever upon her. This tale of the clock and its owner doesn’t stop with just the grandfather clock. In almost every room of her home, there stood a clock ticking out the time as if they were captains and privates in the General’s army. Some people have the fortune of being more laid back than others. The clocks that sit upon their desks and bedside tables don’t threaten them nor do they demand attention. The purpose of the clock for them is just to mark the time. Nothing more. Nothing less. They don’t feel the presence of someone watching their every move. Wrestling with feelings of inadequacy is one reason why we can struggle with feeling watched. We may have failed many times in the past to be who others think we should be and believe we will always let those around us down. Yet, we must remember how God looks at us. He knows that we are trying our best. He will not glance at us with contempt. He loves us and will encourage to keep moving forward no manner how many clocks you have in your home.