I See You

The book of Genesis (chapter 13) tells a story of a woman named Hagar who was an outcast and driven from her home. While she was alone in the wilderness, the angel of the Lord appeared to her and spoke to her. The angel gave her instructions and a promise. At the end of the passage, “she gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me.’” This is one of the earliest passages in the Bible that speaks of a God who sees us as individuals and knows each of us personally.

When the angel of the Lord first met Hagar, he called her by name. This is one important way that we can show others that we see them and care enough to learn their names. In a large school like Dalat, with 180 staff, 730 students, and over 1,000 parents, it’s not practical to know the names of every member of the community. However, we can be intentional to learn the names of those we regularly come into contact with. I try to work hard at learning names and pronouncing them correctly. Even if I don’t always succeed, the effort and intention is valued.

Next, the angel asked, “Where have you come from and where are you going?” Part of seeing others is taking the time to listen to their personal stories. A few weeks ago, one of the students in my SAT group asked what color my hair used to be. I showed them several photos of my childhood and that led to a lot of questions, which I was happy to answer. Sometimes people aren’t comfortable sharing their own stories until we take the first step, either in sharing or asking. When we learn the stories of each other, it helps us to value them even more.

Hagar called God “El Roi,” the God who sees. Throughout the Bible, God tells us to show kindness, love, and care for one another. One way we can do this is by seeing others: calling them by name, learning their stories, and continuing to talk with them. As we work to help everyone in our community feel that they belong, we can all take the small step of learning each other’s names.