This post first appeared on inspirational author Cynthia Roemer’s blog.
I see you.
The idea of being seen runs deep these days. In a world that tells us our value rests in the designer labels we wear, having the most recent technology in our pocket, or the size of our bank account, people yearn to be seen, to be valued for who they really are…on the inside. We long to be known.
This is the theme of my latest release, The Veil, part of the Across the Shores novella collection. Tired of being valued for her outward beauty as well as her father’s purse, my heroine, Caroline Wilkins, dons a black, lace veil and vows not to remove it unless a man will marry her sight unseen.
A pretty tall order. But Caroline desperately wants someone to see her. Not her physical appearance or family connections but to value her for her compassion, intelligence, and determination.
Now I’m not going to tell you how things play out between Caroline and my hero, Franz, but I can give you hope that there is Someone who does see us just as we are. Not just our rights and wrongs, but who we are deep inside in the places most people don’t take the time to look.
El Roi – The God Who Sees
His name is El Roi, the God who sees me.
We learn this lesser known name of God in Genesis 16:13.When Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was mistreated by her mistress, Hagar ran away to the desert. Here she encountered an angel sent by God to encourage her. “Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’” (NIV)
Hagar’s story teaches us that in our lowest moments, someone sees us. God sees our pain. He hears our cries. We never need doubt His presence. He rejoices in our victories, weeps when we are sorrowful, and carries us when we cannot take another step.
We are never alone because El Roi is the God who sees.