What Happens When You Are Seen in the In-Between

Down in the unseen recesses of our mind, we worry we aren’t seen. That our superhero power is being invisible, although no one asked if that’s what we wanted. 

We walk around lonely, longing for the assurance that we matter, trying to reconcile the breach between life right now and as it will be, when everything finally makes sense. 

We get partial perspective this side of heaven. “Only part of the big picture,” Paul says (1Corinthians 13:12).

I realize that everything I know is only part of the big picture. But one day, when Jesus arrives, we will see clearly, face-to-face.

The Voice

And this slice of right-now? It feels raw some days. Unfair, often times. Can a distant promise soften the ache in between the now and Jesus coming again to right the wrongs and reveal what we don’t yet know and replace our loneliness with knownness?

There is a day coming when the heart of every human will be revealed. On that day, all we long to know will be unlocked. We’ll have peace–and all the puzzle pieces. 

But Paul tells us we don’t have to wait until then to be cradled in the gaze of God. Today, and every day in between now and eternity, we are already seen. As the verse continues,

In that day, I will fully know just as I have been wholly known by God.

1 Corinthians 13:12, The Voice

Even when you’re overlooked by the people around you, you are noticed by the God of the universe.

Even when other people misunderstand you, you are “wholly known” by God.

Even when you’re surrounded by instability, struggling with insecurity, or seeking answers, you are secure with the One who sees you.

What happens when you know in the depths of your soul that you are seen? Security. Surrender. Solidarity. Let’s unpack them together.

Knowing You are Seen Lends You Security

In between what we now know and what we will fully grasp, we are seen and understood by God. This means He sees every shadow, every surface, every shallow excuse, every surrendered hope, every silent prayer.

The God who holds the whole, big picture, and the timeline in its entirety, sees us when we feel alone, unsure, unready, unsteady.

He who can foresee the repercussions of and resolutions to every will-be-redeemed thing also sees you and me. 

This assurance gives us footing as we look forward to Jesus’ return. No matter what turbulence arises, around or within you, when you take “refuge in the shelter of the Most High [you] will be safe in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1, The Voice). 

There is nothing more secure than a heart surrendered in full to God. And guess what eases the apprehension around surrender? Knowing you are already seen.

Knowing You Are Seen Helps You Surrender

When you feel unseen, you resist surrender. You struggle to trust God with what still feels tender. You toss around blame in your head, unbridle your anxiety,  temper your honesty.

But the truth is, you can’t surrender anything that surprises God. Everything you invite into the light–your cravings and your motivations, your feelings and your failures, your worries and your wars–has already been examined with unprecedented attention. 

Surrender isn’t bringing something new to God’s attention, but offering your honesty so He can restore hope and bring healing. It’s taking self-trust and turning it over to God. Releasing what no longer serves, what sabotages peace, what builds walls in our relationships.

God asks for willing transparency and relaxed hands because humility and honesty ultimately help us. When there is nothing unknown in the equation, nothing we’re trying to disguise, our closeness with God grows confidence within us.

Instead of questioning whether we are seen, we focus on seeing the people right in front of us. We gracefully embrace others, knowing our worth is irreversible and our identity is not affected by those who might misunderstand us.

Knowing You Are Seen Leads to Solidarity

When you get–deep, deep, deep within you–that God wholly knows you, insecurity leaves. Self-proving ceases. Self-protecting becomes irrelevant.

Walls melt into bridges. Relationships begin to bud. And slowly, you begin to find solidarity with the people near you.

It might unfold so gradually you barely notice. But you feel lighter and less lonely, even in the midst of what you can neither control nor fully comprehend yet.

Hope blossoms like an amaryllis.

You’re not seen perfectly by the people in front of you, and neither do you see them that way, but under the gaze of God, grace abounds. You make space and take up space. You grow in your faith and you let the work God is doing inside you ripple into your relationships.

Seen people see other people.

Loved people love other people.

If you’re looking for solidarity, start with seeing the people right in front of you.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we trust that You see every slice of life at the same time. Nothing unfolding is a surprise to You. Nothing inside us is a surprise either.

Today, we give you our loneliness, our desire to be seen, our hope for community. Thank you for seeing us with tender love and deep compassion. 

May we find security in You, who already sees us.

May we embrace surrender, knowing You see everything.

And as we learn to see the people right in front of us, may we find the solidarity we seek.

In Your name, Lord, we pray. Amen.

Just a friend over here in your corner,

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What if you gave your faith the chance to ripple right into your neighborhood? These quick tips provide a wide variety of baby steps to help you begin to build friendships with your neighbors. When we get close to God and let others get close to us, the things God is working out in us can show.

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