Whether I’m hiding behind my kids or not. Whether I’m tired, wraggedy, or manic.
He sees me.
Not my undone laundry or my messy house. Not my fraying door mat or my futon with the chocolate milk stains.
He sees me.
Beyond the color of my hair or the size of my waist. Over the grocery lists of immediate needs I rattle off to Him every morning. Behind the worry.
He sees me.
Inside my inside dreams, my secret hopes; at the crux of where mommy meets wife and woman.
He sees me.
Over the rim of my computer screen, behind my blog posts and inside the head that spins these words in circles.
He sees me.
In the hard watches of the night when I rock her and ache and slip lower and lower down the lip of the rocker. Alone. Or so it seems.
He sees me.
When I scream with my face set in a shrill whisper at the boys to drop what they are doing and take heed, ’cause mama will be on the war path if baby girl wakes when there’s a chance of some more sleep at 6am.
He sees me.
As I scrounge for a few minutes to read a single Bible verse; to listen to a chapter on my phone as I soothe and rock and repeat.
He sees me.
Beyond how I see myself. Beyond my lens, beyond my point-and-shoot camera, beyond my life of diapers, juggling and writing. Beyond my homesickness and current dearth of frequent flier miles. Beyond my accent, my zip code and my passport.
He, and He alone, truly sees me.
And oh dear friend, I hope you know He sees You too.
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know He watches me.
Edited from the archives
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I don’t know how many times the thought, “Don’t you see me” has ran through my head. Don’t you see my pain, don’t you see my exhaustion, don’t you see the sacrifices I’ve made for you…….
There is such comfort in knowing that my heavenly Father does SEE ME! And really, as I live for Him (instead of myself), isn’t that what really matters? It’s not about me at all.
Indeed it is wonderful to know He sees me. One of the blessings of having found Jesus 5 years ago is knowing that truly deep in my heart, the only opinion I care about is His because He truly sees me and knows me better than anyone, and I want to please Him. And even when my stubborn human streak starts fading and wondering what others are thinking about me or what I do, this is a wonderful place to come back to: the knowledge that He truly sees us.
Thank you so much for this post, Lisa-Jo. So beautifully written and such a welcome reminder this morning.
Reminds me of Hagar, Abraham’s abandoned concubine in Genesis, who called God “The God Who Sees Me”. Even when she was dying in the desert (or so she thought).
Thanks for this!
Don’t you love it that He sees us … and loves us anyway?
Yet He isn’t content to just let us sit where we are … wanting to grow and shape and stretch us through all our stuff …
Just found your blog recently … am loving checking in with you!
This is AWESOME and so true. I always remember that at those times when we wonder if he is there he is carrying and strengthening us and we are the ones who close the door..never, ever him.
You have an amazing talent for writing and sharing amazing things!! Thank you for sharing that talent with all of us!!
I will never stop being amazed that he sees me just as I am – and still loves me.
Thanks for this.
x
this is knocking me down today. flat.
oh, yes, He sees beautiful you! so encouraging…grateful!
Amazing! He sees me. I wonder that often, “Lord, have you forgotten me?” “Have you forgotten my fatherless children?” “Have you forgotten that after decades of pursuing and now finally a degree, that I need a job to provide for my babes?” “Have you forgotten the hole in our heart that longs for another continent?”
Thank you for reminding me today, that yes, He does see me and cares for me and mine.
Genesis16:13 … “She answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, “You’re the God who sees me!”
I just love you….
Someday, I want to stand on that frayed door mat of yours. We’ll talk about our El Roi.
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing this comforting truth–“He sees me!”
I LOVE this! It is EXACTLY what He is reminding me of lately. Thank you for sharing this truth so beautifully.
We were both thinking about mirrors today, I guess? Darling, not only do you share life-giving truth, but you do so in a way that makes me believe it. I love you so much!
This morning, sitting in front of the mirror, I asked God, “Do you see me?”. I knew the answer. In fact, the story of Hagar was running through my mind. But I still needed to ask, more from a place of weakling faith than from the fear of being unknown. It just needed to be asked. Thanks, Lisa-jo! This was so timely.
I , for one, am so thankful for this, and for His delight in me…especially when I can’t even see myself.
Thank you for the encouraging words, I am from the UK living in western Australia for 8 months with my husband and 3 girls.
Feeling bit lost and home sick and looking for work. Your words are very
encouraging. God Bless you. Mary Xx
I know that lost feeling very well. Hoping you find community while you’re in Australia. That helps. Well that and cake :)
You cannot know how badly I needed to read this… for so many reasons… thank you!
I agree. This is very beautifully put. Life as a Mom (or not!) can seem simply overwhelming at times. Sometimes, even a round of abundant blessings can feel like almost too much to bear. Yet, with this simple truth in mind, we may find comfort and strength. Yes, He sees me. Praise the Lord! He sees me–and He cares. ~Sheila :)
-few minutes to read a single Bible verse-
That was me today, while Will vacuumed the kitchen and Anna argued with him, I just tried to make sense of one sentence in what I was reading.. I don’t even know what that was..
It’s scary sometimes that he sees me. Some days, I wish he didn’t know me so well. There’s no hiding from him. And yet, in ways it’s comforting, because he sees me, for who i am, and still loves me.
Janelle