Seen, Known, Loved

 

I shared a picture of something I wrote on a Facebook Group. It was a rather quick thing, I didn’t think much about it. I wrote down a quote on a sticky note from a speaker that really stuck out to me and put it on my board in front of me. I thought the quote was really good, so I took the picture and posted it. As of right now, it has almost 200 likes, which thoroughly surprised me (although it was a good quote). The funny thing is the more people that liked it the more I looked at the picture and was frustrated with myself that I didn’t write it cuter. I mean I love to write things in a cute way, and this I just wrote quickly and in black ink, not in my best handwriting, just put it on the paper. So I did this thing to try and encourage others and ended up being insecure because strangers, who don’t even know me, will see sloppy handwriting.

So much of the time we do and say things because we want to be seen, we want to be known, and we want to be loved- yet more often than not we do not feel this way. For most of my life, I have felt so insecure and lonely believing that I didn’t fit, that people did not see value in me if they saw me at all. I thought that I was the only one that felt this way. That normal people (people not me) had lots of close friends who understood them and loved them. 

The longer I work with women the more I am seeing that this is not the case. It really seems that so many women are feeling less than. We try so hard to do what we can to be accepted and loved, but we never feel enough. We don’t feel seen. Then when we do feel that people see us, we are unsure of how we should feel because they may see us, but we don’t feel like those around us KNOW us.

In Luke 8:43-48, we read the story of the woman with the issue of blood. We see a woman who was desperate. For 12 years she was a true outcast. She couldn’t worship in the temple. According to Jewish law (Leviticus 15:19-28), a Jewish man couldn’t touch her or anything she touched or they would be considered defiled, so the men would do anything they could to avoid her, often not even making eye contact. I am sure she was beyond lonely and desperately yearned to be seen, known, and loved. In Luke, it tells us that she had heard of Jesus, and knew he could heal her. She risked everything to go and touch him. She went places she wasn’t supposed to be, just for a chance to be healed. I think she thought that she could just sneak and do it. She had been so unseen for so long, who would even notice her? But she didn’t know Jesus. She touched him and he knew that someone had purposely touched him for healing. And he asked who it was. Luke says, “When the woman realized she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him.” She then proceeded to tell him who she was and why she touched him.

For so long she had been hidden because she was seen as unworthy, and now Jesus wanted her to stop hiding. I am sure she was terrified thinking that she was in trouble. That she, a worthless woman, had touched a Jewish man, which would defile him and make him unworthy. Instead of being met with anger or contempt, she was met with the words, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace (Luke 8), be encouraged (Matthew 9), your suffering is over (Mark 5).” Jesus would not stop until he saw her. He did not stop until knew her story. He had so many other people all clamoring for his attention, but he listened to her. And then he called her daughter- he didn’t stop until she knew he loved her.

Sister, I can’t help but wonder if you are longing to be seen, known, and feel loved. Maybe you are going through life wondering if you have purpose or value. Maybe you feel that you are valuable, but no one else sees it. That you are just not enough. I assure you, in your heavenly Father’s eyes you are.

Psalm 33:18 says, “But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.” The Lord is watching over you and He has unfailing love for you. 

Psalm 139 tells us that God searches, or examines, our heart and that He completely knows us. That we cannot escape His love no matter where we go, even if we try to hide. God knitted you together. Think about that- He carefully crafted you. You weren’t an afterthought, you weren’t a mistake, you were knitted. God’s thoughts towards you are precious. And God is with you!

I so wish I could sit across from you now, look you in the eye and tell you that there will be times that people will let you down. People may not always see the value that you have. They may not always know your heart and see the good in you. They may not always love you the way they should, but you have a Father that does see you, know you, and love you. 

I am praying for you to experience that with your Abba Father right now.

Girl, you are SEEN, you are KNOWN, and you are so LOVED.