Seen and Known

I see you. I see your pursuit of worth. The way you try to walk without stumbling in those high heels. The nervous flutter of hands smoothing your dress, the careful way you styled your hair. I hear you comment self-consciously about whether or not your Chacos should really be worn with a floral dress. I see the lightweight scarf you chose for your hijab, hoping it might breathe just a little in the pressing heat as you sat under the relentless sun. I see the combat boots you chose thoughtfully and deliberately to make this important march today. I see your eyes darting around nervously while fighting to keep a steady gaze as you march proudly off the commencement stage. I see your colors, your vibrancy, your diverse gorgeousness.

I see you, beautiful ones. Do you realize how lovely you are?

Today I was assigned as a volunteer to stand at the corner of two pathways, stationed there to signal the coordinator when the ceremony was over, the throngs of people pulsating their way to the reception at a large high school graduation. On the corner of two ways of life, two moments in history, I stood like a sentinel, and I could see so much more than the young, bright graduates marching past me. I could see honor, and I could see shame, especially among women.

The conflicting messages of You are special and You are not enough tear at them like wolves on their heels as they race toward adulthood.

The accolades of work well done cannot fully hide the conflict of young women searching for identity, stretching their hearts forward in hope while shrinking back in confusion about who they really are at the core.

Growing from girl to woman is a daunting task. And today, woman can mean so many things. Sometimes we feel we are on our own, casting our eyes about frantically trying to find a place to plant our feet and blossom. New definitions of strength, power, and beauty are on the rise. Which one is right? Which one is for me?

The great liberty of the present age tells us to “Be anything, do anything.” Such freedom can be overwhelming without wisdom and direction. But where does a young woman today find wisdom and direction for who she is to become?

The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?” Genesis 16:8, NIV

There is a time, multiple times, in a woman’s life when she stands at the crossroads of what lies behind and what lies before. For many, what is behind is shadowed in shame. This was certainly the case for Hagar, that great refugee of Genesis 16. Not only had she lost her position among her own people when she became a slave to Sarai, she now found herself expelled even from that household, alone on the side of a dusty road in the desert.

Where have you come from and where are you going?

After posing the question to Hagar, God promises Hagar hope instead of despair. He gives her a backstage glimpse into her own future. And her understanding of herself and of God is permanently changed. In fact, she changed our understanding of God.

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me.” Genesis 16:13, NIV

There is a great leveler, an absolute truth that must be the starting point of all becoming. It is the truth that God sees you and you matter, beautiful one. There is hope, and He knows the way you will take.

God has made each woman in His image, a reflection of His beauty, His glory, His creativity, and His intelligence. And she is equally valuable to man in His eyes.

One gender is not more valuable than another.

One person is not more loved by God than another.

Equally loved, equally valued, equally seen and known.

I wanted to somehow reach out and give the gift of honor to every young woman who passed by me at the crossroads today. I wished to encourage her not to shrink back in shame as she walks the unknown paths of her future. The future is filled with hope, and not unknown to God. She is loved, she is known, she is seen by the One who made her. And He rejoices over her today.

Where have you come from and where are you going?

Go with God, and from this solid rock, you will find hope and wisdom to become exactly who you were destined to be.