Teachers are trained to build relationships with students, particularly those students whose behavior or lack of motivation makes them more challenging to teach. One of the strategies I have been taught to use is to simply notice things about these students.
“I notice you got your hair cut last night!”
“I have been noticing how you always wait quietly in line.”
“I have noticed that you like to play on the swings at recess.”
Sometimes, all it takes is a few of these “I notice” comments to completely change the dynamic with a student. We all want to know that someone notices us - that someone cares enough to pay attention to what we do. It doesn't necessarily have to be a compliment or statement of approval, even. Just letting them know that we see them makes a difference.
In Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai began to doubt God’s word to them that they would have a son. Or at least Sarai doubted that it was to be her son. So she gave Abram her servant Hagar, and when Hagar became pregnant with Abram's child, Sarai mistreated her so much that Hagar ran away.
Caught in the middle of a messy situation that was not of her own design, I can imagine that she felt overwhelmed with loneliness and rejection. She was in a desperate situation with no hope for help from anyone. As she was alone in the desert, however, God spoke to her. Genesis 16: 7-13 says:
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
13 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.”
As much as Hagar felt that she was all alone in the world, God saw her. He saw her pain and her misery, and He made sure she knew it. He didn’t have a completely positive message for her -- although she was promised more descendants than one could count, her son’s future would hold conflict and hostility. And she was instructed to go back and submit to the mistress who had been mistreating her. But Hagar did not despair over those details. She was relieved simply by knowing that God saw her. This knowledge gave her the strength and courage to return and to endure her difficult situation.
You and I may never experience an encounter like Hagar did with the angel of the Lord speaking directly to us, but we can know from her story that our God is a God who sees. He sees our pain and heartache. He sees our past and our future. God is at work in ways we cannot even imagine--maybe He even plans to use the painful trial for His glory and our good. No matter our situation or how God plans to use it, we are not alone.
But others around us may very much feel that way. Is it possible that we could speak hope into their lives? Could we bring them some measure of relief simply by noticing their situation, their pain, their heartache? Could God use us to show someone else that He sees them?
I think so, if we are willing to really look at those around me, if we are available and ready to take the opportunity to do so. And I challenge you to do just that this week -- be someone who sees.
God, thank You for always seeing our hearts. Thank You for taking the time to reach out to us and make Your presence known. Help us to be Your messengers this week. Help us to notice the hurting souls around us and to take the opportunity to speak to them. Give us the words they need to hear to bring them Your assurance and Your hope.
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