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Writer's pictureSandra Franklin

More Than Seen



My weekend trips home began the same way. After the hugs, my Grandmama would say “Are you ok? Sit down … let me look at you.” She sat in her favorite chair. I sat on the sofa. And she looked … and looked…and ….

It wasn’t a casual glance. Mrs. Adell’s gaze was the “impolite” one your Mom reprimanded you about when you were younger. Intense and probing are probably the most accurate words to describe her stares. They were unsettling yet filled with an incredible amount of love.

 

After an uncomfortable amount of time, if there was anything weighing on my heart, she knew. She discerned and dismantled what my outward appearance portrayed. She saw me. And responded with a sweet invitation…“Tell Grandmama about it.”

 

The Bible doesn’t give us the exact number of people at the pool of Bethesda.- John 5:1-9 John simply describes the scene as a “multitude”of blind, lame and paralyzed people waiting to be healed.


In the midst of the crowd, Jesus saw this one man. And not only did he see him, he knew his struggles. His name remains a mystery yet both the man and his plight were significant to Jesus. If we’re completely honest, isn’t that what we want… to be seen and known?


 


 

It’s what Hagar needed. Desperation drove her to the desert because she could no longer endure Sarai’s harsh treatment. Then El Roi, The God who sees, met her. And unlike the ones she served, he understood the full extent of her pain.

 

The weight of suffering can immobilize us making isolation our home. But even there, we’re not alone. God loves us too much to ignore the burdens we bear.


Just like the man at the pool and Hagar, your circumstances are not hidden from God’s view. He sees and extends the invitation to unload your cares.

 

My Grandmama was able to see me but, with God we are more than seen. He sees and delivers and heals and saves and so much more.


So I’ll go ahead and ask….Are you ok? Has your season of difficulty been far too long? Are you being treated unfairly? God sees.


I encourage you to take a seat in his presence. Stay there, even if it’s uncomfortable. Allow the Lord to gaze at you. And tell him all about it.


Your Sister Friend,



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