At a huge women’s conference last year, I sat alone. Several friends sat together in a section above me, but I was in-and-out with seven-month-old Micah strapped to my back (or my belly) and I needed a seat with easy access to the mothers’ room. I remember feeling a bit lost in this sea of ten thousand women, wondering if God saw me. Of course, intellectually I knew he saw me. But you know, sometimes we just need that extra little bit of a reminder, don’t we? Something more tangible. Something we can be sure of.
After the session I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Are you Adriel Booker?” she said quietly.
“Yes.” I tried to place her but couldn’t.
“I feel weird saying this, but I’ve been following you on instagram for a while now and when I saw you here I wanted to say hi. You have no idea how you’ve encouraged me these last couple of years.”
Guys, I cried. I hugged her and cried.
Here’s the truth: Our lives matter. Just living them matters. Regardless of whether or not we do stuff we think is important or worthy of praise or notable or admirable. When we live into our very own selves and do our best to open our lives to bless others at the same time, it matters. It matters to God and it matters to people we don’t even realize are watching. (Even my friends noticed me—they snapped this photo from behind when I had no idea anyone was looking. You see, at the time I was focused on Jesus—seeing him, not even fully realizing he saw me.)
Do you need to be reminded today that God sees you? Perhaps I don’t see you or she doesn’t see you or they don’t see you like you wish… But God does. He sees you. He notices. He cares.
You are seen and you are loved. (I’m reminding myself of this today, too.)
XO,
A
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