“Our daily activities may bring us blessing but also condemnation, for God’s gaze is directed deep into our hearts. God sees what men can only infer (1 Kgs 16:7/1 Sam 16:7). Seemingly innocent acts that serve our ego may in fact be wicked, self-indulgent, or without true concern for others.” (Dynamis 3/7/2021)
“So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places . . .” [Luke 14:7]This sentence appears simple on the surface, but it holds a command directed to the Christian heart and mind. Our Lord takes note of how we choose, not merely what we choose. This is a sobering thought, “for man does not see as God sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord sees into the heart” (1 Kgs 16:7). Jesus Christ sees the preferences of dinner guests and also notes them, marking how those choices are made within the guests’ hearts. In the original, the verb translated as “to note” suggests an intentional focusing, which highlights the double meaning of note or mark. Christ our God sees within us, taking into account our motives, intentions, desires, and actions – the whole picture.” (Dynamis 12/19/2020)
“…secret sins cannot be concealed from the all-seeing God. He observes even the most discrete and subtle transgression. And He sees into the hidden motives and schemes of the heart…everything is in the scope of God’s sight, even the most trivial things…God sees all. All the coming and going of every man and woman on earth is significant to Him…the omniscient God considers all that He perceives–our thoughts, words, and actions–weighing them against His righteousness and justice…Therefore nothing, not even the offhand remark or inconsequential deed, escapes His attention and His appraisal. In God’s sight, there are no forgotten people nor negligible acts. The homeless person living on the street is just as dear to him as a monarch living in his palace. And God pays equal notice to what both think, say, and do.” (Fr. Basil)
“If it makes us feel emotions ranging from uncomfortable to absolutely terrified when the truth that God sees and knows everything we think and do really sinks into our understanding, consider it a good thing. First, this means we actually care about the type of person we are and what God thinks of us. Secondly, we must never lose sight that God is always working out of His unfathomable love for us for our salvation. When our hearts convict us of shame, guilt, and remorse, this is the Holy Spirit trying to move us toward healing repentance, not divine punishment in the punitive sense. Divine punishment is always therapeutic in nature. It is only punishment to those who completely reject God and even then it is the punishment of self-will not God’s will.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“Healthy shame is most often discussed in the context of humility. Indeed, humility can be defined as our willingness to bear the truth of ourselves as God sees us. Because this experience requires an extreme vulnerability, a nakedness akin to that of Adam and Eve, it necessarily triggers the shame response that is hard-wired into our bodies. To experience such vulnerability and not have a shame response would be unhealthy, even pathological. However, shame is shame, regardless of whether it is healthy or toxic. It is thus the case, that, if we are enmeshed in the after-effects of toxic shame, experiences of what would normally be healthy shame can and do trigger the frightful burden of toxicity. We become over-reactive, unable to bear what should normally be both bearable and healthy. As a result, there is most commonly a need for toxic shame to be addressed and healed in order for us to make the deep journey into the depths where healthy shame resides.” (Father Stephen Freeman)