The Seeing Eye
A Devotional Essay Inspired by C.S. Lewis’ An Experiment in Criticism
“My own eyes are not enough for me; I will see through those of others.”
— C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism
C.S. Lewis once reflected that his “own eyes are not enough.” He longed to see the world through the eyes of others—to look, as he said, “through another’s lens, not merely at it.” For Lewis, this wasn’t just about empathy or imagination; it was about truth. No single human being can take in the fullness of reality on their own. We need one another to see clearly. Later in that same essay Lewis said, “In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself… I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see.”
That insight is deeply theological. From the beginning, God created us for community—“It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). We are made in the image of a relational God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, existing eternally in fellowship. To be human is to be relational; to grow in Christ is to grow together. Romans 12:5 says that we are are “one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
Lewis’s “seeing eye” reminds us that our understanding of God is severely limited if it is only our own. We each see through a glass dimly, glimpsing part of the mystery. But when we walk with others in faith, our vision expands. The experiences, insights, questions and perspectives of our brothers and sisters in Christ become a window through which we glimpse more of the vastness of God.
As C.S. Lewis put it with characteristic clarity, “Christ works on us in all sorts of ways, but above all He works on us through each other.” — Mere Christianity
The apostle Paul expressed this same truth in his prayer for the believers in Ephesus:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
— Ephesians 3:16–18
Notice Paul’s words: “together with all the Lord’s holy people.” The love of Christ is so vast that no one can comprehend it alone. God does not merely comfort us through community; He forms us through it. Christ sharpens our vision, deepens our faith, and enlarges our understanding of His love as we walk together. What we cannot yet see on our own, we begin to perceive through the faithful presence of others.
Lewis saw this reflected in friendship. When one of his closest friends, Charles Williams, died, Lewis wrote that he didn’t just lose Williams—he lost a part of his friend Tolkien too, because only Williams could draw out certain sides of Tolkien’s humor and thought. “Now that Charles is dead,” Lewis said, “I shall never again see Ronald’s reaction to a specifically Charles joke.” Community multiplies our seeing.
So it is with God. None of us alone can perceive all that He is, but through the eyes of others—through their worship, wisdom, struggles, and faith—we come to see Him more fully. Together we are learning to behold His beauty from many angles, like facets of the same diamond reflecting one light. The truth is that we will never truly grasp the beauty and majesty of the Lord on our own, we need each other!
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:12
Until that day, we keep seeing—through Scripture, through the Spirit, and through one another. Our own eyes are not enough, but through the eyes of the saints around us, we begin to perceive more clearly the wonder of the God who is making us one.
Reflection Questions:
- Who has helped you “see” God more clearly in your own journey of faith?
- What might it look like to intentionally learn from the perspective of someone whose story or experience differs from yours?
- How can your presence in community help others see more of Christ’s love and truth?
Prayer:
Lord, my own eyes are not enough. Teach me to see through the eyes of others—through the faith, joy, and struggle of Your people. Expand my understanding of Your love as I walk together with the body of Christ. May our shared vision draw us nearer to You, until the day when we see You face to face.
Amen.