(THE EYES OF THE HOPELESSLY DEAD)
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Luke 11:34
Vacations are interesting entities. They are times when you spend money you know better than to spend and visit places that you may have only had a vague interest in previously.
In our family, vacations are a valued commodity that arrive only once every 3 – 4 years. It’s a time when we have saved and set aside so that we can travel off for a day or two and leave everything behind for someone else to care for. This year was our year of VACATION – August 1999!!
We had been given our hotel room as a gift and part of that gift included tickets to the Movieland Wax Museum. None of us had ever been to a wax museum – however, none of us had ever really been over-enthusiastic about going either. But, it was vacation! A time to see something new! A time to . . . well, you know.
At first, I was intrigued by the replicas; life-size dolls, the exact size of a famous movie star, wearing the original costume from a movie or an article of clothing from the movie star’s personal wardrobe – or so they claim.
The tour began with the older movies. What took me by surprise was the size of the stars. The women were so tiny, petite (to compensate for the 20 extra pounds the camera add, I suspect). Jean Harlow, Bette Davis, Kathryn Hepburn – all movie greats, up close and personal.
Then there were the men. Characters that loomed so large on the screen were trim young men, not much taller than myself. The illusion of grandeur diminished. The overwhelming feeling of awe was reduced. They were just people. People who struggled with self-esteem and the pressures of fame. People, just like me, who tried to juggle work and family and (prayerfully) devotions.
As I continued the tour I recognized depression setting over me. Why, Lord? What are you showing me that I can’t see?
“Look at them,” He said, “carefully.”
I began to look into the faces – past the aging clothing, the dusty sets, the fading make-up, and a few missing fingers. I stood in one spot and turned a full circle, looking carefully into the eyes of the replicas.
“There’s nothing, Lord, nothing!”
And that was it! Deep in the eyes was the absence of the soul. They were exact replicas of the bodies of men – void of love, hate, joy, dreams and visions. It was a morgue of dead bodies, dressed up to entertain people.
I walked through the “horror” section and felt nothing. Even with the sound tracks playing in the background of some of the sets, there was nothing. The eyes were dead and blank. There were no demons, no tormented souls, no hate, no raging insanity. They were the eyes of the hopelessly dead.
After leaving the museum I searched the face of every person I saw. The daily anguish, joy and stresses were there. It slowly relieved my depression. It gave me new hope and a fresh battleground. For in the tormented eyes there is hope for salvation. In joy there is peace and encouragement for tomorrow.
No matter what the tormented soul is screaming out through the eyes – as long as there is life, there is an opportunity for Jesus to enter in.
Lord, let me always remember that every face I see could belong to a soul of little time. Give me the courage to change the demons that dance in those eyes, before they become the eyes of the hopelessly dead.
Linda J. Humes 