I’ve always longed to be chosen. Invited. From elementary days of standing alone on the backside of a school building waiting to be picked for a game of dodge ball, I waited to be noticed.
In adult days the yearning continues. I want to be a part — a part of what’s exciting, of what others are doing, included. Being called for jury duty over and over only pounds this feeling. I sit. I wait. I feel alone. I long for my number to be called. I want to be picked. I want to be noticed. I want to be good enough.
I see it everyday.
These people who want to be chosen and noticed. The young girls on social media who post picture after picture of selfies. Pictures revealing themselves in hopes of captivating others to say they are worthy to be chosen.
Women who create drama scenes as to alienate others so that they will become the victor and be picked. Plucked out to be the new best friend. To be called worthy to be a part of the group.
It’s everywhere this feeling of aloneness.
I know the feeling. I’m sure you do too. When life hands you a basket of trouble, you feel alone. You long for someone else to notice you, to see your hurt. Especially then, you want to matter to someone.
It’s those days that I long to be nestled in beside Jesus. Jesus sees. He chooses. He invites me to spend time with him because he notices and knows the hurt. He reminds that his favorite thing to do is to spend time with the broken and unnoticed. Oh how I love that about Him.
Hosea 1:10 MSG
I’m thankful for this. To be noticed by the King of Kings and to be chosen with all my flaws and hurts. Jesus loves me just as I am. This I know. Yes, this I know.
This aching flawed world longs to be noticed. I want to see those who long to be seen. I’m trying to see. I’m hoping to look beyond my own lonely heart and see others who need to be noticed, chosen, invited.
But something is shifting in my own brokenness and need to be chosen, there’s this stirring to invite. To draw others in who are lonely too. Broken to broken. Unnoticed to Unnoticed. It’s this feeling that if I draw enough nobodies together that through all our fractured lives, a beaming bright light will burst forth and we’ll be God’s somebodies.
Being invited and chosen is what we are all longing for.
This longing to be picked, I’ll let it guide me gently. I’ll use my eyes to see as Jesus sees the broken, fractured souls who need a place to refresh their lonely souls. Those who need to know they are seen, I’ll practice seeing.
Then in seeing, I’ll extend an invitation.
I’ll extend a warm, friendly greeting that let’s someone know I see. That in their broken day they are picked and chosen by the One who sees.
I’ll write invitations to coffee for lingering in conversation and shine a piece of my own fractured light to shine encouragement with the Light of Jesus.
I’ll offer invitations to pray in the presence of the Only One who truly sees the lonely. His loneliness for ours — He sees it.
I’ll invite sweet sisters to commune over a meal to remember the One who sees each of us, loves us so, and chose to die so we could be chosen. And to remember we’re God’s Somebody.
Oh how I long for this to be the season that I’m picked and chosen. But there’s an excitement instead to see what Jesus can do when I take my own uninvited feelings and invite others.
And yeah, maybe that’s it —
while I long to be invited, I will instead invite.
Old memories of “you’re not invited” will be replaced with invitations of “you’re invited.” Oh, I know the blessings will be plentiful when the broken gather.
So dear lonely one, I see you. I invite you. Would you love to come for a cup of warm coffee?