Why Do You Force Me to Look?

But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only.

Matthew 24:36

We don’t know the day and time in which the Lord will come, nor do we know the day and time God will call us. We are all called to be a vessel used for the kingdom of God. It’s up to us to see the call and hear it. 

 Habakkuk 1:3 “Why do you show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me: and there are who raise strife and contention.” 

Many of us don’t realize that when God calls us, it tends to happen when we were not looking. When our focus is off, we soon understand that God positions us to redirect our attention. I remember towards the end of my senior year in high school, I was rummaging through my sisters’ room. As I was looking, I ran across a book she had lying on her bed. It was called “A Child Called It.” I remember flipping through and reading a few pages that ended up being a few chapters. Before I knew it, I was deep in my thoughts and positioned on the floor. I couldn’t fathom the idea that anyone on the face of this earth could abuse a child, let alone a person, in the manner described in the book.

At that moment, my whole life changed. Things that I thought to be accurate or that I felt I knew to be true was proven wrong. The world no longer felt safe. You see, I had a pretty unrealistic image of what I thought life was supposed to be. I firmly believed that everyone grew up the same way that I did. I did not know that someone could be raised in a home and succumb to that kind of treatment. That was the first time I discovered the word abuse, and at that moment, my heart broke. 

In my mind, I asked a lot of “why” questions (i.e., why would you allow this, why would this happen, why did it occur to him!). At first, I felt a lot of emotions: guilt, pain, and fear. Quickly I realized that I want to help. Now my questions were no longer “why’s,” but now it was about “how.” How could I be of service to people who are going or went through similar circumstances? The part of the book that spoke to me was at the end when it took that one person to notice. All it took was for one not just to look but to see. We can all look at things and still not see, just like we can all listen, but again, not hear. It takes for us to open our eyes and ears to notice what is present before us. 

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

Genesis 21:19

God purposefully blinded Hagar to the well. God waited for certain things to be made known and for her to be in a place where she could acknowledge them, which ultimately required a small dose of faith. 

In life, it may seem that we are walking blindly to a lot of things. We are desperately trying to figure out where we belong and our purpose. God precisely knows where you need to be to reveal to you His plans and His purpose. Maybe today, God is showing you something you never even thought about, or perhaps it just doesn’t make sense. All God requires of you is to have a little bit of faith. Let Him break your heart to the things that break His. Don’t be afraid to see or hear because whatever God has for you, Know that it is for you. 

After reading those few chapters all those years ago, I knew that I wanted to be someone who sees. Be someone who dares to do everything in their power to make sure no one else is forgotten or feel ignored. So I became a social worker. I chose this path, and I continue to choose it every day of my life. With God by my side, my heart breaks for the things that are of concern to Him.    

There is hope in this world, but we can not forget how we are vessels aiding humanity’s betterment. Pick up the cross today and walk by faith!