As I write to you, I’m sitting criss-cross applesauce (is there another word for this for people who aren’t five anymore? I’m not sure) in the middle of my bed. I’m eating leftover squash straight out of a glass serving bowl wrapped in a dish rag (because glass gets hot when you microwave it, man). And it’s 10:30pm. If I can keep my eyes open long enough to head back to the kitchen, the second course might be chips and salsa.
Usually when you read one of my blog posts, it’s written in advance. Sometimes I schedule them out a couple of weeks ahead of time, or I at least write them then let them sit for a day or two.
But this one’s getting scheduled as soon as I finish typing, and it’ll go live at the usual 6:00am, which means you’ll probably read it before I see it again.
From that first paragraph about my fancy dining habits, you might be able to tell I’ve been a little frazzled recently. Not in a bad way, though. Most of the things I have going on are good: Work, Bible study, time with friends, editing.
So. much. editing, you guys. This book draft and I need some healthier boundaries.
But as I sit here and think through how tomorrow’s schedule is just as full, I also think about this:
Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we forget some incredible truths.
Maybe you’re having a lot of fun being a person these days, your friends are amazing, your family’s getting along, and you have the best tan of your life (I imagine that would be fun), but at the end of the day, you need a reminder.
Or maybe life has knocked you down lately. Maybe you messed up again, you let someone down, you feel like you’re dog-paddling while you try to figure out what in the world you’re supposed to do in this world. And at the end of the day, you need a reminder.
Maybe praying is hard, or God didn’t do something you thought he would. Maybe your closest friend betrayed your trust or you’re feeling a little lonely at the end of the day. You need a reminder, too.
No matter how you’ll feel when you crawl into bed tonight with your journal or Netflix or leftover squash, the reminder is the same.
But just because it’s the same, that doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful or true. In fact, I think that makes it more significant:
You are seen. You are seen by the One who loves you. Everything you do, everything you feel, everything you are is not hidden from God.
You are heard by the God who gave you a mouth to speak and a mind to think. Every sigh, every question, every thought is heard by your Father in heaven.
You are known. From the number of hairs on your head to the freckles across your nose. From the circumstances that make you cry yourself to sleep to the tv shows that make you laugh uncontrollably.
To sum it all up?
You are loved.
You are loved by the One who made your beating heart and your amazing brain. You are loved by the God who picked out your personality and where you live and what you’re passionate about.
So remember this when you click off your lamp tonight. Remind yourself of it when you open your eyes tomorrow morning. Tell it to a friend who could really use some good news, because it’s every bit as true for her, too.
And if you have some doubts about it all, reach out to me. I’d love to listen to your thoughts and share with you how I know this is all for real.
I’m reminding myself of this as I schedule this post and brush my teeth: I am seen, heard, known, and loved.
And so are you.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8:38-39
Anna Schaeffer's Blog 