The Beauty of Sight

… “ In this place, have I actually seen

 the one who sees me?”

Genesis 16:13 CSB

            Has there ever been a time when you have felt unseen? Growing up I often felt overlooked. Being the middle child, I felt as if my sister, the oldest, garnered a lot of attention, and my brother, being the youngest, was given much more devotion, being the only boy and the baby. Into my young adult years, I always felt unseen. Because I felt this way I took great strides to be sure I was noticed, often in very inappropriate and extravagant ways. This may be a cycle many of us go through no matter the placement of our birth. It might just be a “right of passage” we all navigate due to our human nature and the need to be center of attention. Even if you consider yourself a wall flower, or introvert, there are ways you assert yourself in order to be seen.

            This need is very real for each one of us who experience it. The neediness to be seen by others is a basic human want. In history if your tribe didn’t see you, there was a risk you’d be left behind when the nomadic life of early humans controlled their living situations, and being alone equaled death. So, in this ancient part of our brains, not being seen is equivalent to being sentenced to an early grave. Being seen also affords us feelings of trust, acceptance, understanding, love, respect, and belonging. When we’re not being seen, we can wind up feeling misunderstood, neglected, and ostracized by others.

            The book of Genesis tells us the story of Hagar, a servant for Sarah, who was used in a plan not designed by God, yet she ended up being used mightily. When Abraham and Sarah did not have faith in God’s plan to bring them children in their much older years, they decided to take thing into their own hands. Sarah gave her maid-servant, Hagar, to Abraham to bring a child into the world. This worked out just fine until Sarah became jealous of Hagar and she began to despise her. Sarah treated Hagar so poorly she ran away into the wilderness. There the Lord finds Hagar and takes great compassion on her. The best part of the story is this, “So she named the LORD who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me? ” (Genesis 16:13 CSB).

            This is our answer to the “seen” problem! This is where we can hang our hat and get rid of the human need to be seen by other people. Hagar's declaration reveals a personal and intimate understanding of God's love for us. The Hebrew term "El Roi" is used here, meaning "God who sees." We don’t know much about Hagar, but we do know she was Egyptian. This helps us to understand even more clearly, God focuses His attention and sees all of us. She was marginalized and oppressed as an Egyptian and a slave, yet He was there to comfort her. It shows us no one is beyond God’s care and grace. The acknowledgment of Hagar’s affliction highlights God’s justice and mercy for everyone. This acknowledgment of Hagar underscores God's attention to those of us who feel unseen and hidden. This is the amazing theme that resonates throughout all Scripture. We are seen and loved by a God who cares nothing about our status, birth order, hair color, or bank account.

            We are seen in our wilderness times when God meets us in our place of desolation and offers guidance and hope. Knowing He sees us at all times encourages us as believers to trust in God’s promises and to obey His instructions even when we feel our circumstances are dire. God worked through Hagar's situation even though it was not part of His plan. Being seen by a great God helps us know He will work in all our circumstances even when we choose our way over His.

            Looking to be seen by the world and having its approval is always temporary and superficial, God's recognition offers a sense of genuine worth, purpose, and peace rooted in divine understanding and love. He sees us even when the world doesn’t. He sees us in happy and sad moments, difficult and trying times, during sickness and depression, through divorce and love. The world can’t and will never see us in all of these situations and if they did, we would only face judgment and ridicule, not mercy and grace.

 Being truly seen by El Roi is the only way for us to have a peace and joy in a world where we will never be seen. We will never be known. We will never be loved. Looking to and finding this type of acknowledgement only comes from the God whose, “…eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.” (Job 34:21 CSB). He is the God who see’s us, knows us, loves us. Give yourself to Him today and you will notice the hope and joy known only when you believe and have faith.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for seeing me in everything. Thank You for loving me no matter what is happening, how I am behaving, where I am living. Lord, help me look to You when I need to be seen and not look to the world. Help me rely totally on You and what You see for me and to follow as You ask.

Today’s Challenge

Ask yourself where you are looking to the world for validation. How can you see yourself as God sees you and begin to seek Him?