Known, Seen, & Wanted!

Today might seem like an ordinary Monday. I didn't want to crawl out of bed when it was dark, my to-do list is really long and my week looks stacked...against me. But really, today is a day of miracles. Today, the God who we think is so-so-so far away in Heaven, moved a mountain in my heart. A mountain that showed me that I am known, seen and wanted by Him. I could bore you with the details but it would take a long time. I just want to talk about what came out of it. I am known by God. I was reading along in Mathew looking for something specific, when 2 verses jumped out at me. Mathew 6: 8, 32.
... for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
...and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Mind you, these are verses talking about ordinary things in life that we all need. Things like what we will eat, drink and wear. Needs. Genuine needs. And we can expand on that list, there are numerous things we need on any given day, and the list can change overnight! But guess what. He knows what I need before I ask Him, why? Because He knows ME! He is not a God 'up there', He's a God who knows the children He loves...ahh rest in that one for a minute!

Recently, I stared into eyes of a perfect stranger for 2 entire minutes...without saying a word! Let me just say that 2 minutes is a long time to stare into someone eyes, it may not sound like a very long time, but try it! It's an amazing experience, the Bible says that the lamp of the body is the eye. Whatever is 'in there' is revealed through the eyes. And I saw compassion, tenderness, and love in the eyes of a perfect stranger. Through her eyes, I felt seen. Feeling seen is so important. We all want it. We all need it. I'll admit I am a sucker for the X-Factor and American Idol. I love it when the unseen, the nobody, or the underdog is finally 'seen' by the world. I have witnessed a contestant break down and sob, uttering those very words, "I feel seen, for the first time in my life"! One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the one when Hagar, Abraham's servant, was persuaded (by Sarah) to bear his son but was then mistreated by a jealous Sarah. So she did what most people would probably do, she ran away, fled to the desert alone, confused, afraid, and pregnant. But guess what? God saw her, just like He sees me, and you! And the angel of the Lord (Jesus), came to her. He told her her future, He told her to go back, He told her the name of her son, and his destiny. So she did. And this is what she had to say:
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

Let's add this one to my ordinary Monday, He not only knows me, He sees me. What does that mean? He sees my heart. He sees when I am alone, confused, afraid...and all of the rest of it. I am beginning to feel a stronger connection to that God, 'up there'.

But wait...I am wanted!!! He adopted me. Anyone who's experienced or known friends who've gone through the adoption process know how badly they want children. They go to great lengths, wait for long periods of time and spend lots and lots of money to bring that precious life into their home. That's exactly why He sent Jesus. So He could adopt us back into His family! Remember the relationship and conversations that took place in the Garden? The creator with His creation? The One who made us, (He created everything else in the earth) but He designed us, fashioned us, put a little of Him in me and in you! But, it's more that just traits, it's a longing. A longing to not only be like Him, but to be with Him. A longing for something that can't be touched, but is so very real, spiritual and eternal. And it's just a response. We loved because He first loved us. Wrecked by sin, He longed for us so much that He had to fix it...get the relationship back, He wanted us to come home. Home to him. Home to love. Home to relationship. So He fixed it, by giving up His beloved Son, why? Because He wants me, He wants you! The longings I have, those ethereal, unexplainable, strong, undeniable, that 'cause me to do crazy stupid irrational things', those longings are a mere response to His wanting me first! I just didn't know it. I looked at the cross as something more judicial...which of course it is, but if we miss the motive behind the cross, we miss everything. He wants me. He wants you. Eternally. That's enough to make any ordinary day, extraordinary!