18But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…
Psalm 33:18
I can remember when I was a kid, my mom would take me to my aunt’s swimming pool on hot summer days. We LOVED going there and swimming, but the best part about the pool was the diving board in the deep end. The summer that I finally mustered up enough courage to go off the diving board, I felt like I was on top of the world! Over and over again I would jump off, and I would shout at my mom and aunt each time to watch me. I wanted to make sure they saw what I had accomplished. Eventually, my sweet and oh so patient mom would say, “I see you, I see you!”
Fast forward several years and I’m not at the diving board anymore, but in a similar way, I am striving to conquer other goals in my life. Even though I’m not shouting to an audience of family members, begging them to watch me do a cannon ball, the feeling of wanting to be noticed still dwells within my heart. Sometimes after a stressful day at work or a bad grade at school, I find myself wondering, do I matter? Does anyone really see me or am I just invisible sometimes? I even catch myself asking God the same question - do you see me? Watch me please, God!
In last week’s episode of The Modern Esther, Danielle and Amanda dug deep into what God’s word says about comparison. That message was one I so desperately needed to hear. Along the same deceitful vein of comparison that they discussed, is the feeling that you’ve been unnoticed. I tend to compare myself to other Christian women and think God sees them raising their precious children, but meanwhile does he see me in my mundane finance job? They are doing his work and helping build up the next generation of believers, but I am just trying to keep my head above water at work. How can God see me when these women are doing such epic things for his kingdom, and it feels like I’m not? But, as Jesus tends to do in his kind way, he led me to an important piece of scripture in Psalm 33:18.
18But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…
This scripture says to me that when your heart is turned toward the Lord of lords, you will not go unnoticed. His eyes are upon you, and even when the world doesn’t see you, he certainly does. As people living on this side of Heaven we are so conditioned to want to stand out to be recognized. We have to be the best at something or the smartest at something. The competition of the world is exhausting and this race of trying to be the highest achiever can be the most overwhelming feeling when we stop and think about it.
Sometimes we need to take a time out for a minute and pause…just to reconcile with our minds that God’s love is not hinged upon our ability to stand out in the crowd. God doesn’t care if we are the prettiest or the smartest. He doesn’t care if we are married with kids or single and working. He isn’t interested in if we are the best dressed or if we went to the best school. Nor does he concern himself with whether we have a resume a mile long or if we just have a few words on a page because none of these things matter to him. He simply cares about us. He simply sees us. That is the love of our Father, and that is the love we must put our worth in.
When I rest in this reality I come to understand that I don’t have to be anything other than what I am and what God is molding me into. I was not created to be someone else, but I was uniquely designed by God to simply be me. When the world doesn’t see me and my goals or my struggles, God sees me. He sees you too, sister. Thankfully, his eyes are the only eyes that matter for the eternal purpose he has called us to.