Eyes Wide Open: See and Live the Real You

by: Jud Wilhite with Bill Taaffe

Published by: Multnomah Books

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd

Jud Wilhite is on a mission to clear up faulty perceptions of God. His ministry in Las Vegas, Nevada, has brought him face-to-face with many people who feel that they are beyond God’s ability to use them. Wilhite believes that all people are in need of eye surgery…they need a whole new set of eyes. New eyes will allow them to see God for who He is, and subsequently, who they really are.

Wilhite terms the new vision available as viewing life with eyes wide open. Once a person has a better perception, they will realize God is not the giant, white-bearded tyrant in the sky; rather, he is the God who loves everyone with unfathomable grace. This grace realization frees us to see Him and ourselves correctly. From that point, the book falls into a familiar pattern: when you realize how much you are loved by God, you can reach out to others.

Such discussions can lead to a cheapening of God’s grace, if not carefully orchestrated. For instance, Wilhite introduces the reader to Heather. Unfortunately, Heather’s penchants for promiscuity lead her to a life of hardship with a controlling husband. To break away from the abuse that was consuming her, she moved to California and brought in money as a bikini dancer. Eventually, Heather became saved and felt that God had called her to care for the girls of various sex clubs. She formed J.C.’s Girls, a ministry whose focus is to speak to girls in clubs as “one who has been there before.”

At first glance, this story is inspiring – until you read a quote included by Heather. She feels it is her duty to talk to the girls but not necessarily to point them to Christ. In Heather’s words, “We go in, and whether they ever become Christian or not, that’s not the number one thing.”
Heather is dead wrong – becoming a Christian is the number one thing. Seeing people with eyes wide open should include an admonition to see peoples’ eternal destiny clearly. Sadly, this devotional is long on grace and very short on biblical reality.

Wilhite is a good communicator that fills this book with anecdotes about interesting people. It would have been far better if Wilhite’s prescription for eye surgery included seeing God’s teaching of accountability, as well.

Armchair Interviews says: Definitely worth the read, as long as appropriate theological disclaimers are made.