When I was young, I would say to my grandmother, “Hey Grandmama! It’s so good to see you!” She would reply with a smile and with grace filled confidence as she said, “It’s good to be seen.”
For years, I didn’t understand what she meant. My youthful mind could only fathom that she was just being witty or sarcastic. However, that was not her point at all. Far from it. As I matured in my walk with the Lord, I realized that my grandmother was rather expressing a deep gratitude for her life. She was grateful that she was still in the “land of the living” and that God gave her the gift of another day—to be seen by those she loved dearly. She had experienced tremendous losses including the deaths of her parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, and friends. She was exposed to covert hatred because of her skin, did manual labor well into her 70s when resting was warranted, and so much more. Yet, in every moment that she could acknowledge the blessings God had given her, she did. Without hesitation.
When she was motherless, she didn’t stop praising the Lord. When she was fatherless, she didn’t stop praising the Lord. When she was exhausted or heart broken, she didn’t stop praising the Lord because she was certain that her praise and prayers went directly to the ears of our Heavenly Father. She counted it all joy! She accepted that life came with loss and that strife stalked progress but victory was (and is) the Lord’s.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
Sisters, how do we get to this place of peace in the midst of the chaos in our hearts, minds, homes and world? The truth is there is no hiding place. However, there is a safe place. A refuge. A haven—in our Father’s love for us. There is no sin that is greater than His unfailing love. No decision of disobedience that we have made that God has not already seen. And there is certainly no other father that knows every hair on their children’s heads! What a gift He has given us—just because. He chose us first, long before anyone else had a choice to decide whether they wanted to choose us or not. This is good news, Sisters!
In the U.S., we recognize national days in May and June respectively to celebrate our mothers and fathers. How gracious is our God that in all that He does for us, He is willing to share the limelight and appreciation with His shepherds, even though we certainly fall short of His standard! He is relentless in His love. He knows that our days can range from bitter to sweet and every extreme in between because we don’t see what He sees. He does not always reveal to us the reason for the losses we face—the reasons for the absent or dysfunctional parent—but He is clear about the fact that we are His! This includes you, Sis. You are His (Isaiah 43:1).
Even in the midst of the trials of life that may lead us to change course, our Heavenly Father pursues us on every path. As we celebrate our mothers and fathers this season, may we acknowledge the power of the gift Jesus has given us all: sonship. Without the Son, there would be no such days to honor. As we move into the safety of His love—those of us who mourn—the fatherless (and motherless) who seek Him are secured. The shepherds (parents) guide their sheep (children) directly to the Father, and at the end of the day, we are all pointing in the same direction. He knows my name and yours. The question is, do you know His Name? The Name above all names.
