Can Anybody Hear Me?

My church helps serve at another church/ministry known as The Bridge. This church offers a place of safety and love for people in Chicago who are experiencing homelessness, recovering from addictions, or recently released from prison. Most of these people come from difficult backgrounds and have recently come to know Jesus. I have gone to this ministry a few times throughout late middle school and high school, but tonight I got to meet a man named Sean.

When I arrive at a new place, it takes me a while until I feel comfortable. I have to feel it out and get the vibe of the people I am around. I was greeting people as they walked in, but arrived late to that job because I was getting a bit of a refresher on how things are run at this church. I had some nice conversations with the people I was greeted with and it helped me feel a sense of comfort. When we were told to go find seats for the service, I was unsure of where to go. I saw a man sitting by himself. He was dressed in red and black almost matching sweat-suit and a red snapback hat. I introduced myself to him, and he said his name was Sean, he had a smile on his face that he was almost surprised someone sat by him. Worship began, and we sang some interesting songs. There was one we had to sing to our neighbor, mine being Sean, that talked about how Jesus could not have a party till he found the one. I watched Sean as he sang and danced to these songs, and I could see the joy the Lord had placed in him.

I left in the middle of the service to go hang out with two children, who were also the cutest, but it was when I came back Sean sought me out and introduced me to his friend Marvin. Sean kept saying “don’t forget me” every time I saw him that night. He just wanted to be known and remembered which is what we all desire.

We want people to see us and love us, but that becomes so hard when we feel like we have been cast to the outside. Nothing feels worse than being overlooked, outside the loop, or pushed aside as if you were never really there. What about that heart-sinking feeling you get when you realize you were left out of something and everyone now has an inside joke? Let us not forget the times the people we value most and trust our lives with decide we are not worth it anymore. It all comes back to the want and need to be loved and fully known by those around us. However, we as humans often fail. We have felt this hurt and have caused this hurt whether we know it or not. It is heartbreaking, but there is good news.

Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him”. I am going to lay it out rather simply for those of us who tend to overthink everything. God loves us, He fights for us, and He knows us. God does not fail, and when we have a solid foundation in Him, we start to recognize and know these things. People fail us constantly, and we constantly fail the ones we love and care about, but there is a God who knows all about us and never fails us.

Heavenly Father,
I pray for wisdom in handling tough and heartbreaking situations.
I pray for the healing of the broken-hearted.
I pray for a reminder of the strength we have in you.
Amen.

Song of the Week: "All the Poor & Powerless" by Shane and Shane

Scripture of the Week: Nahum 1:7

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