Imagine this scene: you’re at your favorite restaurant with friends and it’s a full house. The atmosphere is comfortable but as you settle in, something suddenly changes. An unsettling blend of excitement and confusion fills the restaurant as news makes its way through the crowd. “He’s coming!”
“Who’s coming?” you ask.
“Jesus!” You see his head bobbing past the windows and as he opens the door…
A typical response would fall into one of the following categories:
- a) you run to the door excited to greet him,
- b) you hide like Zaccheus did, but in a place you can view him Luke 19:1- 8],
- c) you find the nearest exit.
I’m like Zaccheus, who climbed a tree to watch Jesus pass by. I want to see him, but not be seen by him, and so I’d hide behind the salad bar. Then my gaze meets his. With delight in his eyes, he sees me, reaches out, and tells me he wants to sit with me. And I weep. He loves me!
The truth is that I, like everyone, want to be truly seen and truly known. However, many of us, like Hagar, Abraham’s slave, have endured physical, emotional, or sexual trauma at the hands of people close to us. That trauma distorts what it means to be seen so much that we, like Hagar, find ourselves hiding physically or emotionally so we won’t be seen.
But God sees you. And you are a delight to him. And he wants to be with you. He bore the cross to be with you.
Abba, I am in awe that you see me and you love me. My wounds are deep with many yet unseen by me, but you see them all. Heal me such that I come out of hiding and into your presence where there is light and life abundant. Amen.
Go Deeper — Which of the three responses would be your initial reaction if Jesus walked into your favorite restaurant?
Read Further — Here is a good discussion about the different reactions people have to meeting Jesus.
Photo Credit: Johanes Plenio