『People Be Peoplin: The Need to Be Seen』のカバーアート

People Be Peoplin: The Need to Be Seen

People Be Peoplin: The Need to Be Seen

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 People have an inherent need to be seen. So it's no surprise that America, at the outcry of a small sect of the population, declared a "National Day of Transgender Visibility." It's no surprise that a president placed himself in a position of seeming support to declare a group people "visible," as if his statement issued support, love, and validation in a meaningful way. Christians raised an outcry, offended that this day took place this year on Resurrection Day. The disrespect! And they're right - it's thumbing the nose at God, to declare a holiday for a lifestyle choice that goes against all He says is good and right in the image of Himself He created in man and woman. It's ironic, the timing (although the day was declared first in 2021 in the states; it wasn't new), there's deeper irony, I believe, in the need to be "seen" at all. If we are honest, we all want to be seen. I believe this desire has become an epidemic in our modern society. You see it in the way we dress, the way we obsess over social "media" (which actually means publication or mass communication!), and even in such cultural trends as a show called American Idol, popular for over 8 years. The enemy loves to twist truth and draw out our longing for what is genuine in a way that is perverted, and we can see that in the realm of identity, and in particular, the need to be seen. We'll do just about anything to be noticed, even if it's in our shameful behavior. And here's the deeper irony: we already are seen, by the God who made us. (For complete shownotes, head over to the Everyday Welcome blog.) Here's the first deeper irony: We want to be seen and we'll do anything to get it. In the first place, God sees all our sins (and they're the very reason we need Him). In Psalm 32, the writer says God blesses the man "whose sin is covered," and tells us his hidden sin caused him to waste away. When He confessed to God, he was forgiven and freed of this burden. In Hebrews 4, 12 and 13, we see that God's word reveals our deepest thoughts and intentions, and "all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." The amazing thing is that God sees us fully for the wretches we are, and He gives us the opportunity for restoration. We can try to hide in our inadequacies, our wrongful desires, our seeking after artificial things, but He invites us to run for our tendencies and into His forgiveness, through Christ. In a second deep irony, we crave to be seen and will do almost anything to get it; God already sees us in a way that He cares for us: deeply, fully, completely. There's a story in Genesis 16 about how Abram and Sarai, pursued a longing in their hearts. God had promised them a child and generations of blessed offspring. When His timing wasn't fast enough for them, Sarai brought her maidservant Hagar to her husband and said basically, "here, make a baby with her." Once she conceived, Sarai hated her and regretted her decision. Abram backed out of responsibility, Sarai abused Hagar, and she ran. Alone by herself in the wilderness, Sarai received a visit from God, who gave her her own promise (go read this story again!). Here are a few amazing notes to take away from her encounter (see resource list below for some of my takeaway on this): Sarai was a lowly servant girl and God made a personal visit to her (He sees the lowly ones and is gentle toward them).Sarai received her own promise, even though she was abused by the ones with whom He had made a covenant (He sees the forgotten ones and still offers mercy).Sarai didn't die when she saw God - and we know one would die from seeing Him in all His holiness (He sees the humble ones and makes Himself known to them). Here's maybe the saddest part - Abram and Sarai grasped at their own kind of fulfillment apart from God's promise, and in doing so, they missed out on a first blessing, they harmed another, and they brought all kinds of trouble on themselves. At best, we miss the opportunity to see the majesty of God's working when we are impatient and take matters into our own hands. When we reject God's provision and grasp for ourselves, we will always cause grief. Once again, human nature is willing to settle for "almost;" we're willing to grasp for an artificial, unfulfilling version of what God intended as precious and good. And it is the reason (more on this in a minute) why God's people, who know truth and life and hope, must speak the truth in love any and every time we are given opportunity. When there is a struggle with sin, and we give up and give in and embrace our own desires for what God says is forbidden, it is tragic. Since the first man and woman, there has always been the struggle against sin, but true sons and daughters of God, through Christ, have the ability to resist sin and in so doing we meet with the incredible blessing of God's help. Paul battled sin. Jesus Himself, as scripture says, was tempted to sin. And yet HE DID NOT GIVE IN...
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