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I have an exercise. First, I try to imagine the moment when Moses met God on Mount Sinai, as described to me by a friend in the clergy. He told me of one interpretation of that moment: There was an instant when God's back was turned, and as he passed in front of Moses, just for a moment, Moses saw the world through God's eyes.

Then I try to see the world through God's eyes - the eyes of a being that is loving, compassionate, and caring.Through these eyes, I look at my family and feel compassion for them. Then I feel my heart expand. And if I can keep looking through those eyes of love and compassion, perhaps I can see the world and all its people as God sees them. And, finally, I try to see myself through the eyes of that loving, compassionate God.

As a matter of fact, sometimes in the morning when I wake up, I look at myself in the mirror and make compassionate eye contact. Sometimes I see an old friend, other times I'm sad and moved to tears. But it always feels intimate.

Daniel Gottlieb
From his new book
Learning from the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving, and Listening
Sterling Publishing (March 2008, $17.95)