Casandra Martin

We all ache to be noticed. We long to be seen, known, loved, and valued. Nature, in all of its beauty, humbles us and reminds us that we are small. The world, in all its craziness, treats us like a faceless number, a catalog of needs to be answered and resources to be exploited.

I do the same thing. People become emails to be answered, messages to be returned, demands on my time, and items on a to-do list. It isn’t intentional. Just easier. Easier to check them off rather than look into their eyes, encounter their hurts, and notice.

Jesus noticed. He noticed everybody. He didn’t just notice their damaged limbs, bruised egos, or questioning faith. He didn’t just hear their demands, respond to their questions, or answer their requests for a miracle. He saw their hearts. Noticed their souls. And in the noticing offered grace.

“Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet.” – Luke 8:47a. She had been invisible for twelve years. People didn’t look at her anymore. They looked around her, through her, dismissing her as unclean, unworthy, unwanted, and unloved. Not Jesus. He healed more than the bleeding of her body. He healed the wounds that were bleeding her soul dry. He noticed her. And He notices you. And me.

My Jesus Resolution today is to notice. First, to notice that I cannot go unnoticed. What a banner of love those few words are! He is watching me, seeing me, noticing me. Not just the things about me, but me, me to the core. He knows. He loves. He touches. He heals. Second, to let His noticing spill over into the way I notice others. I want to pay attention. Really see. I am going to call someone and tell them. Give a hug and show them. Send a card and spell it out. Pause, look someone in the face, and see the Godlikeness imprinted on their soul.