Individual, Unique and Seen
by Patricia MacEachern
Last summer I was in the habit of taking a weekly walk in the woods near our home. On one of the days I was very blessed to be met by a cloud of blue butterflies, which made me stop and stand in awe of their beauty, especially as I had never seen this type of butterfly before. The following week I went on the same route, not sure if I would see them again or not. This time I was met by a single blue butterfly and I felt God ask me a question. “Because there is only one is it any less beautiful than the many from the week before?” The answer I gave was, “Of course not”.
I have meditated on this question for many months and the answer that I gave. The one butterfly was just as beautiful. It was individual and unique. It got me thinking of the many stories of Jesus when He saw the individual person, even in the midst of a crowd. Zacchaeus, the tax collector in the tree (Luke 19:1-10), the man at the side of the pool in Bethesda who had lain there for many years and whom Jesus asked if he wanted to get well (John 5:1-9), Jairus and his dying daughter and the woman with the bleeding disorder that He encountered along the way (Mark 5:21-43), to name only a few!
The words in the scripture above from the Old Testament are from Hagar, who was a slave and running away from her mistress and the circumstances she found herself in. She encountered God and He spoke into her need and gave her instruction and hope. She had been seen for the unique and individual person that she was.
The day I saw the individual butterfly I needed reminding that I am unique and seen by God, and that He knows my circumstances. He wants to walk beside me in them and be my hope and my guide. This promise is for you too. You are individual and unique, and God sees you. He knows your circumstances, and He wants to be in relationship with you, walking with you and guiding you along the way.
Sometimes we find this hard to believe, but if we remember that Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and we read the accounts of Jesus’ interactions with individual people, we can see that nothing about us will cause Him to turn His back on us and walk away.
Patricia MacEachern Patricia has been attending various courses Ellel Scotland since 2004, most recently completing Explore A and B. She has been part of the ministry team there since 2019 and is passionate about seeing others healed as God has brought and continues to bring deep healing to her personally. She is married and has three children and enjoys crafting, walking, gardening and reading.
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