Watch Me!

I love to swim, but I didn’t actually start out as a fish in the water. I failed beginning swim lessons three times. Yes, three times. Pretty bad, for sure. But wait! The pool for lessons in early June in northern Ohio wasn’t exactly warm water. About the time the snowplows were put away, the city pool opened! Well, not quite. 

When I finally got comfortable in the water, I would perform antics like most kids for all to see. On vacations with my family, I would wildly jump in the water and then shout out to my parents the two pool words known to all parentkind…. "WATCH ME! WATCH ME!" When I successfully got their attention, I would share my performance with them which usually consisted of some underwater flips and a very bad version of synchronized swimming. They would clap for my amazing performance and the cycle would continue again.

Even as an adult, we sometimes just want someone to notice us. Brene’ Brown writes of being on her cell phone one time as she received a drink order in the drive-through lane at a fast food restaurant. She apologized as soon as she could get off the phone: "I’m so sorry. The phone rang right when I was pulling up and I thought it was my son’s school." The woman who was serving her got tears in her eyes and said, "Thank you so much. You have no idea how humiliating it is sometimes. They don’t even see us." (pp. 137, John Ortberg, I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me, 2017) Boom.

John Ortberg goes on to write "Because intimacy involves shared experience, it also requires presence. And presence doesn’t mean simply having my body in the same room with yours. It requires sustained, focused attention. It demands eye contact. It demands that we look up from our screens and put down our devices." (John Ortberg, pp. 141)

We are made to connect with others. That’s why, when we lack connection or intimacy, it makes us sad. Lonely. Hurt. Not valued. Technology strives to take the place of our longings, but will always falls short.

No matter where your attention is right now, did you know you have God’s attention? Like, right now, He is thinking of you and watching you and loves you. Connecting to the God of this universe is mind boggling! He really longs for relationship, even when we mess up.

Check out Psalm 139:1-4: "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely…."  Reread it out loud and place your name where it says "me" or "my."

Most humans are asking "Are you watching? Are you listening? Will you love me unconditionally, warts and all?" God says "Yes, Yes, Yes!"

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.