Looking into a person’s eyes can tell you a lot about what they think of you. If you make eye contact with someone and they immediately look away it probably means they are not interested in you. If you make eye contact and they don’t look away there’s probably a good chance they are interested in you. Staring at someone is sure to make them feel uncomfortable. By looking into a person’s eyes you can often tell if they are happy or sad.

We can learn a lot about what God thinks of us by looking into his “I’s.” Since Jesus ascended into heaven we can’t physically look into God’s eyes but there are several places in the Bible where God speaks about our relationship with him using the word I.

Verses 11 to 23 of the 34th chapter of Ezekiel is a good place to look into God’s I’s:

“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered.” (verses 11-12)

“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” (verses 15-16)

“I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” (verses 22-23)

In Deuteronomy 32:10 Moses describes God’s care for his people, “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waster of wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”

As we look into God’s I’s in his word we see how dearly he loves us and how well he takes care of us.

When Jesus came into the world he looked at us with true human eyes. He looked at people, even his enemies, with eyes of compassion. He looked for good in people. And according to the Gospel of John he spoke often about God’s I’s:

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

“I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” John 11:25

“I am the way the truth and the life, no one come to the Father, except through me.” John 14:6

Sometimes we have trouble with our eyes, and it’s not just when we need glasses or cataract surgery. We look at things we are not supposed to look at. We look away from those who are in need. We look only to our interests and not to the interests of others.

What do people see when they look into our eyes? Love? Compassion? Judgment? Selfishness?

When we need comfort and assurance we look into God’s I’s in the Bible. Then we can look at others with eyes of love.