"Open the Bible almost anywhere at random and you will find a sentence beginning with the word 'Behold.' It is calling upon the reader to use all his powers to see what rods and cones are bound to miss. We are being asked to see with 'new eyes.' This call to 'behold' expresses surprise, wonder, thrill, joy, admiration. It is an attitude which we express with the exclamation point. If we could learn how to behold with new eyes we could more often supplement the interrogation point with the exclamation point of wonder and awe. . . .
"To see the eternal in the midst of time, to feel and to enjoy the infinite here in the finite, is one of the greatest blessings life has to offer. Plato used to say that life comes to its full glory when some beautiful object, or some loved person, suddenly opens for us a window that gives a glimpse into eternal reality. It is no doubt a satisfaction to know causes and to understand and explain what before was mysterious, but even greater is the thrill when something breaks in on our souls that is exactly as it ought to be, which is what occurs with consummate beauty. It is a state beyond mere knowledge. We now both know and adore, because we see. . . .
"But how are we ever in this busy and material world going to realize all this? We must have new eyes — the eyes of our heart enlightened. That means that we must see essential realities vividly. We must have our imagination captured. Matthew Arnold said that conduct is three-fourths of life. But it isn't. Getting your imagination captured is almost the whole of life. The minute the eyes of your heart are enlightened, the minute your imagination gives you the picture of your path, your goal, your aim — it is as good as done. The way to become the architect of your fate, the captain of your soul, is to have your imagination captured."
