My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- The Lifter of our Heads

One day Toula, now transformed inside and out, is working in her aunt’s travel agency and who should walk by? It is the same stranger that she saw months ago in her parents’ restaurant, Ian Miller.

Even though she is absolutely radiant, happy within herself, when she sees him looking in the storefront window at her she sinks beneath his line of vision behind the water cooler.

Why is it that we act in a way that is contrary to what we actually want? She inwardly desires to be seen, and yet she hides. Could it be that deep inside we feel we don’t deserve the thing we want most of all?

A short time later, he walks by the travel agency again. For the first time, she meets his gaze and they make eye contact. They exchange smiles for the first time. What has changed? Perhaps he has become for her, 'the lifter of her head.'

Our Heavenly Father is the lifter of our heads:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt

so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians;

I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.”

Leviticus 26:13

That is what the Lord does for us. Be breaks the chains that bind us to our past, our sin, our shame, or anything else that would cause us to sink downward, to hang our heads, or to otherwise try to hide from his gaze.

The Lord sees us, and he lifts us up so that we can see Him too.

Eye contact is a powerful thing. It signals that someone knows you exist. Being in direct eye-contact with someone is a connection. They say that eyes are the window to the soul, so to maintain a steady gaze that is reciprocal is significant. In fact, it communicates that the person is significant to you.

If someone will not or cannot make eye contact with you, something is wrong. Maybe there is guilt, shame, distrust, or simply disinterest creating a wall. Perhaps there is a perceived, or an actual, inequality in the relationship.

There was a rich young man who could not maintain eye contact with Jesus. He had asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus had asked him to sell all he had and give it to the poor then to come and follow Him.

Jesus had no trouble making eye contact:

“Jesus looked at him and loved him.”

Mark 10:21

There was a connection there. At least on Jesus’ part. But because the young man had great wealth that he was unwilling to part with, he could not look Jesus in the eye.

“At this the man’s face fell.”

Mark 10:22

If his face fell, his eyes were no longer lifted towards Jesus’ face. He could not face Jesus knowing deep inside that he loved his wealth more than He loved God.

If you, like Toula, want to be seen – but at the same time are afraid to be seen – take heart. Remember how Ian told Toula, he didn’t remember ‘Frump Girl’, but he remembered her? Jesus would say the same about you.

The Lord sees you, He wants you to look up and see Him too. He has broken through every barrier to become intimate with you. Will you lift your head? Will you choose to see Him?