I See You

I like watching TV. On the best day, my idea of relaxation is to be in my pyjamas, on the couch, watching a good movie or TV show with my love. And yes, popcorn and tea are involved. The funny thing is, when we were dating, this wasn’t something we ever discussed. I didn’t know Ceaser liked watching TV shows as much as I did, and my enjoyment of the same had never come up in conversation, I don’t think. It had never occurred to me to explain to this man I was planning to spend the rest of my life with, that at the end of a long day, I needed, not wanted, to watch TV to unwind. To be honest, I was too young to even know what unwinding was. Lord! Don’t get me wrong, we had many discussions over our two-year courtship about who we were as individuals and what we valued, yet this particular value just never came up. One thing that I didn’t omit mentioning to my forever boyfriend, was that I was not a Valentine’s Day person. Even back to the first puppy love flutters back in seventh grade, I have never been one to participate in all the hoopla surrounding Valentine’s Day. I remember telling Ceaser that I was happy to do it if this was important to him, and I was happiest to forgo all the fuss. We agreed, and this will be our fourteenth Valentine’s Day together as happy rebels.

Some may assume because of my position on Valentine’s Day, that I am not into romance or grand gestures that show love and you would be wrong. Honey, I am still a girl made in the image of God! Do not be fooled! I love love, and I still squeal at all the mushy parts in romantic comedies. Speaking of which, with all the movies and TV shows I have watched, and there have been a lot, I have yet to think of a scene more romantic or significant as the scene in Avatar where Neytiri discovers Jake’s real body lying lifeless, inches from suffocation. After she places the oxygen mask on him and he finally catches his breath, he places his hand on her face and says, ‘I see you,” to which she replies, “I see you.” There is something about that scene that gets me every time. Firstly, I love how Neytiri calls Jake ‘Her Jake,” secondly, this moment is so significant because Jake is not engaging with Neytiri in his avatar. His much smaller, more fragile body is held by his love, who appears to be twice his size in this scene and for the first time, they both see one another completely and it doesn’t change their love. Hey, flowers, teddy bears and chocolate are nice, but that’s the kind of romance I’m here for. That hand-on-face, soul-searching gaze, I see you, kind of romance.

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” ~ Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

But You, O LORD, know me [and understand my devotion to You]; You see me; And You examine the attitude of my heart toward You. ~ Jeremiah 12:3 (AMP)

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. ~ 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT)

Have you ever been so frustrated with a situation that you cry out to God asking if He even sees you? Maybe I am the only one that dramatic but I have done that a few times, especially over the last few years. What I find interesting and even humbling is that I know the truth, God does see me, He always sees me, yet when I’ve been at my wits’ end and blurted out this foolishly desperate question, He has taken the time to show me tangibly that He in fact, does see me. You may be wondering this yourself and maybe you haven’t been bold enough to ask the question, or maybe you did and you’ve been waiting for an answer. I pray this serves as a beautiful, tangible answer from your God, the One who sees you.

I see your heart

Nothing is hidden from God, not even our most intimate thoughts, fears or desires. He sees it all, chooses it all and loves it all. It is far beyond this but for the sake of making my point, I will liken it to that scene from Avatar. Neytiri’s response as she saw Jake’s fragile, handicapped and much smaller body for the first time, wasn’t to flinch or turn away with disgust or disappointment. No, she rushed to him, calling him ‘Her Jake’ and giving him what he needed to breathe. As he came back to himself and realised it was his love who had saved him, there was no shame in his eyes, simply an acknowledgement of her decision to call him hers. They could see each other beyond the surface, heart to heart. More than this is how God sees you. Your hustle, name, reputation, accomplishments, attempts to please people, attempts to be good, all those things that serve as your avatar aside, He sees you. He sees what aches your heart and what you worry about and His Word has promised that He will perfect everything that concerns you. Even the seemingly silly things. He sees you.

I see your struggles

When we think of the incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, we often rush to think about His end goal, the salvation of all mankind, and yes, He came and died to take us back to the Father. But before He died, He lived. If those 33 years of Jesus’ life were not crucial to His mission, He would have died as soon as He was born. He lived, placing His deity aside for our sakes so that He might see our struggles. God knows all things and He was very aware of our struggles due to the entrance of sin into the world, but He wanted us to know that He knows. More than just saying He could see us in this area, He showed up and walked this thing out so that whatever we faced in this life, we would be assured that we had a High Priest who sees us and sees our struggles because He went through them Himself. If that doesn’t cause you to straighten your back just a little bit, I don’t know what will. If we can slow down long enough to recognise Jesus as being fully God and fully man, our prayers may change. Rather than asking, “God do you see me?” we would pray, “God, I know you see me and you know what this burden feels like because you experienced it while here on earth. I don’t know how but I know you can, please help me.” He sees you.

I see your pain points

A pain point is a persistent or recurring problem physically or figuratively. We all have them, those situations or scenarios that often trip us up or those physical issues we battle with, especially as we grow older. Sometimes we chug along accepting these as our lot in life, purposed to work on complaining less because there is someone out there who has it worse right? The truth is that even these things are seen by God. In His love for us, He doesn’t just see us struggle with them, He has grace and wisdom available to help us navigate them. Apostle Paul had pain points too and as he took his frustrations to God, God met him there.  God wants to meet you too. He is longing for your pain points to intersect with His grace, causing you to collapse in His arms as you realise that He has everything you need to breathe. Long ago, He took the time to provide everything you would ever need to live a godly life. He sees you. 

I see your effort

I am a words of affirmation gal. This means that in addition to hearing how much those who love me, love me, I like to hear them cheer me on as I do certain things, acknowledging my efforts. Growing up my mum did the best job of acknowledging my efforts in school. On my open days after having her parent-teacher session, she would scream embarrassingly loud to say how proud she was. She called me her brain box. As embarrassed as I would be, knowing my friends outside the classroom could hear her, this filled my tank in ways she would never know. I think there is a reason why when we see our God face to face, the first words He has promised to say to us are, “Well done, my good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” God knows us, He knows we need that affirmation. Even if your primary love language isn’t words of affirmation, we all need to be affirmed some way or somehow. Receive the affirmation of the Lord today. He sees your efforts. The Bible says that God will reward you openly for what He sees you do in secret. This isn’t just speaking of heaven. It is a promise He intends to keep on this side of heaven and keep it He shall. He sees you.

I see your intentions

One of our most primal needs is to be understood, yet, how often do we misunderstand one another? Sometimes I wish people could just read my mind because then they would know what is in my heart and trash all their misguided misconceptions. Marriage will test this need to be understood because no, your spouse cannot and will never be able to read your mind. Why Lord! Why? In any relationship, we have to communicate, re-communicate, avoid assumptions and even correct one another’s misunderstandings all to meet this need to be understood. When we are frustrated in our relationships one thing we can be sure of is that God sees our intentions. When they are right, He will give us peace to carry on even when others misunderstand us, and when we are wrong, He gives us grace and wisdom to make it right with those we love. Either way, He is there. He sees you.

I see your future

Last, but not least, God sees your future. Having seen the end from the beginning He went ahead and created you because He knew you would be great. He has already paved the way, now, all you have to do is walk in it. This is why He gives peace that surpasses all understanding, it is His way of placing in you a fraction of the knowledge He has, that regardless of what you may be going through right now, your future is bright. Let’s just say that when you are desperate enough to ask the God of the universe whether He sees you, you will need Him to reassure you of your future. Let Him paint the picture for you, it is one of His favourite things to do because He is so proud of you. He sees you.

When life is doing what it does best and you feel like everyone around you isn’t paying attention to all that you are going through, be assured that the God who always has His eye on you see you. Let the fact that He sees your heart and knows your intentions give you the strength to keep going. Let the truth that He can relate to your struggles and your pain points cause you to run to Him and not away from Him. Let His acknowledgement of your efforts fuel you into the bright future He has prepared for you. He sees you.