Back in the early to mid 1960s, my next-door neighbor and I were pushing the envelope for girls. Well, technically we didn’t realize that we were doing anything to any envelope, but it kinda looks like we were. She and I were the same age. I was born in March and she was born in May. Her mom was the Cub Scout leader for our little community. So, most things that her mom did for the Cub Scouts, she allowed us to participate in. We felt special, we felt noticed…we felt seen.
One of the fondest memories that I have about being part of the Cub Scouts was the turtle races. They were not real turtles, they were wooden turtles. Each child had their own wooden turtle that they got to decorate. The turtles were cut out of flat pieces of wood and they had a hole at the top of the turtle.
To race the turtle, you ran a rope through the hole. We raced test at a time. The ropes ran from the back of the room toward the front. The one that could get their turtle to the front the fastest was the winner. We did not win, of course. We were probably six, no more than seven at the time. We were just included, and it felt good to be included. It felt good to be seen, to be worthy to participate. I know that is a silly little story, but it means something to be seen and found worthy.
In John 4:1-26, John tells about Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. We are told that she had come to the well alone in the middle of the day. Jesus met her there and had a conversation with her. The conversation pretty much turned her life around.
We see in verse 27 that Jesus’ disciples had returned. They found Him in conversation with a woman, not just a woman, but a Samaritan woman…in broad daylight even! They were kind of blown away by this. Yet they remained silent. No one asked Him what was going on or why He was talking with this woman.
As their conversation ended, the woman was so overcome by the words that Jesus had told her that she ran into the city. She even forgot to take her water pot with her. When she got to the city, she began telling everyone about the conversation she had with Jesus.
She was encouraging them to come and see Jesus for themselves. She told them that he was a man that had told her everything that she had ever done, all about her life. She told them that she believed He could be the Christ that they were waiting for.
Notice the excitement that the woman felt after talking with Jesus. She had just experienced being treated like a human being. Jesus saw her, He knew who she was, yet He still treated her with respect and dignity. He made her feel seen. What did she do with that? She took that feeling that He gave her and she went and shared it with others.
What is the challenge for us from this passage? People today sometimes feel unseen or not noticed by others. The challenge for us here could be to get to the place where we completely accept the fact that Jesus does see us. Jesus sees us and he finds us worthy enough to give us a testimony that we can tell others about. It is as simple as telling someone what He has done for us.
How can we apply this to our lives? I believe that we first need to listen for Christ to speak to us. This could be through conversations with others. It could be through reading His Word. It could be through a song on the radio. Or it could be a message from the Pastor. Christ has ways of talking to us, communicating with us. We just need to get better at listening for His voice. Once we listen to him, we need to be more active about telling others about him and the things that he has done for us. The Samaritan woman at the well had a very deep history. She had lived a hard life. Jesus saw her. He found her worthy to go tell others about Him.
What does this mean to my faith? My faith is strengthened when I see all throughout the New Testament the way that Jesus interacts with people. He treats people with kindness and respect—he sees them. I truly feel that he sees me and has found me worthy to tell others about Him!
Lord, You find so many ways to communicate with us, and I’m so thankful that You do. I love hearing a Word from You. It keeps me going and it helps me realize that You know the situations l am in and You find ways to comfort me and help me move forward. I pray, Lord that anyone who is reading this would come to the understanding that You see them. You see them deeply. And You still love them and want them to feel worthy.
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“27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” John 4:27-29 (KJV)
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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.
What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him? You can know Him. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity. You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.
Here is an excellent website that can give you additional information about making your decision for Jesus Christ! PeaceWithGod.net
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Blog Image by Wilfried Pohnke from Pixabay
Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 