Do you see what I see?

When I was young, I thought that the song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was fun.  I knew it was a Christmas song, but I hadn't listened to it enough to really pay attention: it was talking about sheep, a star, a shepherd hearing angels, and the baby Jesus.  Somehow, I just sang without really thinking about the words, what they meant overall, and particularly what they mean to me.

For the last few days, as I've thought about this song, I have stumbled across a new idea, a new meaning that has touched me deeply, and that I thought I'd share.  What if Jesus was singing this song to me or about me, instead of the other way around?  What if the first verse said THIS instead:

 "Said the Savior to His little lamb 'Do you see what I see?  Way deep down inside little lamb?  Do you see what I see?'"

When he sings "Do you see what I see?" and I know that He can see into every corner of who I am and who I have the potential to be, would I really be able to see myself that way?  What does He see when He looks at me?  If Jesus sang to me "Do you hear what I hear?" after hearing me speak to (or about) others, would I be grateful that He can hear the unspoken things I want to communicate, or would I feel ashamed?  When he says "Do you know what I know?" about what I could achieve, can I really comprehend it, and would I try harder to reach for it if I could?  And when He (the Mighty King) says "Listen to what I say", would I realize that His counsel would help me to become that amazing person He can see?

I think, because He can see our potential and see the desires of our hearts, because He gives us points for trying, that many of us would find that we are far more amazing than we ever give ourselves credit for.  We need to be kinder to ourselves, love ourselves, and embrace our very best selves more often.

I love this song on a whole new level this year.  I hope every time I hear it from now on, I think about what the Savior sees when He sees me.

In case you haven't heard it before, here's a very beautiful version:
Do You Hear What I Hear: by former Celtic women