"You Will Be Found"

We live in a world with so much to see, yet so many don't feel seen. Do you?

One of my daughters' all-time favorite musicals is Dear Evan Hansen. The music, the themes - they relate to so much of it. One of the songs that often runs through my head is called, "Waving Through a Window." Here are a few lyrics:

On the outside, always looking in

Will I ever be more than I've always been?

'Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping on the glass

I'm waving through a window

I try to speak, but nobody can hear

So I wait around for an answer to appear

While I'm watch, watch, watching people pass

I'm waving through a window, oh

Can anybody see, is anybody waving back at me?

Later in the play, there is another song that brings things full circle which says, "You will be found."

Feeling invisible. Wanting so much to be found, but afraid to really be seen. Can you relate?

I will never forget an ordinary day when something extraordinary happened. I was sitting with my dear dad in a narrow, bland little hallway, waiting for him to be called in for some blood work. A handful of other people waited too.

Suddenly, the door to the lab flung open and out stumbled a tall lovely woman with silver hair. I looked up. She stopped, shook her head, looked right at me and exclaimed, "I can't believe it. I can't believe this is happening to me."

I held her gaze and she continued, "I was just told I have cancer. Bad cancer. It's supposed to be curable with surgery, but they said there is a 50% chance I will die on the operating table."

Her eyes filled with tears. Then, she added, "Yesterday, my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. What am I supposed to do now?"

Without thinking, I jumped up and said, "I'm so sorry." I asked if I could give her a hug. She nodded and sort of fell into my arms. Quietly, I asked if I could pray for her and she whispered, "Please," as tears rolled down her cheeks. When I asked her name she said, "Carol." That is my mom's name. I prayed for Carol and hugged her a moment more.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and said, "Thank you so much. I needed that." I told her I would keep her in my prayers and she nodded, smiled bravely and went on her way.

I sank back in my chair, a bit stunned, and realized my dad was looking at me with a surprised look on his face. A few seats to his left, a woman leaned forward. She looked like she had been through a lot in her life. She said, "That was beautiful. That gives me hope in this crazy world."

I felt immensely privileged to have been a part of any of it. The Lord was definitely there lighting up that plain little hallway and the people sitting there.

Later that week, I was having an especially tough time. I felt lonely and discouraged. I was talking to a mentor and Carol came to my mind. I shared the experience and said, "Why do I feel so alone sometimes, and other times complete strangers open their hearts to me?" It happens fairly often. His answer hit me hard. He said, "Because you look up."

"Because I look up?"

"Yes," he said. "Most people are uncomfortable with vulnerable encounters - especially with people they don't know. Most people, when Carol stepped out into that hallway, would have stared at the floor or stared at their phones. They would not have looked up. But, you did. You saw her. You listened. You cared.”

A thought flooded my mind. Jesus, through me, looked that dear woman right in the eyes. He met her there. That was definitely not me. That was all Him.

I pondered this conversation long after. Jesus calls us to look up and see others as He does with love and compassion. And, with His heart full of love and compassion, He also calls us to look up to Him when we are the ones with tears in our eyes.

When I'm hurting, and feeling alone, I can, at times, look everywhere but up. I may look at my troubles, or look down in despair, or look at something I hope will distract me.

Sometimes, I'm afraid to look up.

Sometimes, we get burned by people we look up to.

Sometimes, we get brushed off by people we thought cared.

Sometimes, we share our hearts and get betrayed.

Sometimes, we look up and nobody sees. Or so it seems.

It can be hard to trust the Lord when people we trusted deeply hurt us. It's easy to blame God for things sinful human beings do. We need to look up.

The Lord will never hurt us like people do.

He won't betray us. He won't abandon us.

He won't brush us off, judge us, or tell us what to do when we just need a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

When we look up, we will see the love in His eyes. We can fall safely into His arms. And the most beautiful part is - He gives us MORE comfort, MORE peace, MORE love than we can contain, which gives us a beautiful opportunity to comfort the next hurting person we meet with the comfort God abundantly gives to us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Because He sees us, we can see others.

Because He loves us, we can love others.

He doesn't just leave us waving through a window wondering if anybody cares. He gently knocks and invites us to open the door and let Him in.

Yes, He invites us to seek Him and promises we will find Him (Matthew 7:7-8) but the even better news is that He seeks after us. He is waving to us through the window and calling us out into the sunshine to remind us that not only will we be found, we already have been.

He knew us before the creation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)

He knit us together in our mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)

He knows the number of hairs on our heads. (Luke 12:7)

He calls us His beloved. (Colossians 3:12; John 3:16)

We are seen, found, and cherished. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Thank you, Carol, for the sacred opportunity to see you.

Thank you, dear mentor, for encouraging me to look up.

Thank you, Lord, for seeing me, seeking me, and comforting my heart.

With His help, I'll keep practicing looking up. How about you?

God bless you, friends.

Brenda

Faith and Life Coach

Nectarfull.com