For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” John 3:16 (NIV)

People rushing to and fro. Hustle, bustle, searching. Long queues, short tempers, preoccupied minds. Scouring the malls. Boxes, gift wrap, toys. Credit cards. Looking here and there. Too busy to see behind the eyes. Behind the eyes . . .

– Behind the eyes is a thirteen-year-old boy who has never known his dad.

– Behind the eyes is a wife whose husband of forty-three years has just died of heart failure.

– Behind the eyes is an unmarried fifteen-year-old who has just heard from the doctor that she’s pregnant.

– Behind the eyes is a senior who won’t see her family because they’re too busy doing their own thing.

– Behind the eyes is the weary shopkeeper hoping December will be a bonanza month.

– Behind the eyes is a youngster trying to understand why mum and dad are getting divorced.

– Behind the eyes is a grumpy old man who’s ticked off because he doesn’t know any better.

– Behind the eyes is a single mother who can’t afford to get her children the presents she knows they want.

– Behind the eyes is a man who’s recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

– Behind the eyes is a middle-aged woman still struggling with her abusive past.

– Behind the eyes is a depressed teenager contemplating suicide.

– Behind the eyes is a father who’s been laid off because of cutbacks.

– Behind the eyes is the alcoholic who desperately wants victory over his addiction.

– Behind the eyes . . .

But God sees behind the eyes. He sees the hopelessness and pain. He sees the shattered dreams, the loneliness, the fear. He sees the emptiness, the struggle, the void in the heart. He sees the need. He sees it now and He saw it before the foundations of the world were laid. And that’s why there’s Christmas. God looked behind the eyes and did what only He could do.