Jesus, I want to see....

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"Lord I have seen your goodness and I know the way you are. Give me eyes to see you in the dark."

This morning I was meditating on Matthew 20:29-34. Jesus is on his way out of Jericho with a crowd following him. And he is passing by two blind men who are begging him to have mercy on them. Jesus stops and asks them what they want him to do for them. They respond....Lord, we want to see.

I often wonder what I would say to Jesus if he asked me what I wanted him to do for me. I honestly don't know how I would answer. However, I am pretty sure my first thought wouldn't be that I want to see. I mean "I can already see....right?" Maybe.......I can literally....but can I REALLy see Jesus in every person I meet and every circumstance I encounter? I think these two blind men set a humbling example for me. They could have answered ANYTHING when Jesus asked that question, yet they ask for sight. If the greatest commandment is to to love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, and the second is to love my neighbor.....then I need to be able to see who God is, and see my neighbor the way He sees them in order to love them like He does. Jesus, I want to see......

Today I sat with a group of women who were once hopeless and isolated because of their HIV status, but now find their joy and hope in the name of Jesus. He knows them each by name. He knows everything about them and everything that has been done to them. He knows every hopeless thought and every suicidal thought. As we sat in community together these are some of the words coming out of their mouth...

"I praise God that he saved me. And thank you for sitting here with me. It is so special to me."

" After entering this program, for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to be loved for who I am."

"Even if God decided to take me home today, I praise God to know my children have an education."

These women have been trained by YFC in sewing clothing and bead making to generate income to become self sustainable and provide for their families. They are all currently working hard to save money to buy their own sewing machines to be able to work from their homes. How can we continue to support them? By buying the products they have made. These women were awesome. I loved our time together and wish I could multiply it. I promised to pray for these women. Will you join me?

I am sitting on this airplane with little black rivers streaming down my face as I remember the words spoken today by the women battling HIV. How they are thankful to God that they are alive today. How they had no hope and now are overflowing with hope. How thankful they were to be able to provide for their children, and that their children will have the education they never had access to. I am also remembering what Jesus has done for me, what he saved me from and how he provides me with hope daily. How he answered my prayer last night by showing me the hope these women now have because of Jesus....reminding me of the hope he has given all of us. The hope Jesus gives is the greatest gift you could ever give somebody.

"You revive me....and all my deserts are rivers of joy...you are the treasure I could not afford, so I'll spend my self till I'm empty and poor. All for you, you revive me Lord" #ChristyNockels #littleblackrivers

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