The other day I was reading a book that has honestly shaken my life around in many ways, but specifically for this post it made me search out recognition. One of the definitions of recognition is to be noticed or to gain attention. In today’s society, this could come in different capacities such as social media recognition, job recognition, or plainly being seen and approached while out on the town. In some form or another, we all seek to be recognized by other’s.

Now I know, there are some people at times that are just wanting to hide behind any and everything before they are seen, but even those people have this longing to be known by someone. It is a part of who we are as human, we crave interaction and attention. We dress in certain clothes, get tattoos, piercings, change our hair to attract a particular crowd of people or many people in general. Some of us strive to be seen on social media, obsessing over how many followers we have compared to others. We obsess over the pictures we post so it looks just right in the eyes of your followers or potential followers. We, often unconsciously, seek this recognition until we lose a part of who we are trying to become someone people like.

(Side note: I am saying ‘we’ but it is every bit me as well)

In fact I had been noticing a pattern in my life recently, but was unable to really put my finger on what the issue was until now. This idea of being noticed was RULING my mind. I have a desire to be married with kids one day, and it seems that it just gets deeper as time goes on. I say this because I am completely single right now and every time I step outside of my apartment I am on the “lookout”. Ladies, I think you know what I mean.  Where you are constantly looking around to see if maybe he is around the corner, or on the metro with you on the way to work, or you’ll bump into him on the sidewalk. It doesn’t matter how it happens, but the thoughts of it possibly happening are subconsciously taking over. But this isn’t the only way I have found myself striving to be noticed, I am also trying on social media or with the website I am creating.

But the realization that all this type of recognition boils down to is that I am not giving over the control to God. I am in the mode of “searching” because I wasn’t believing that He has things under control with my life. I had fear that I won’t ever get married if I don’t do something about it. I was searching out recognition from people because I wasn’t living out of the identity that Christ has given me. I wasn’t seeing how I am KNOWN and so LOVED by the only One that truly matters.

But I think it is also a reminder to God’s people that as brothers and sisters we need to remind each other of their worth, of who sees them and loves them NO MATTER WHAT. I know that last part is usually hard to grasp, but he loves us through all the dirt and grime we might see on our lives. No one else can give you the identity and recognition that Christ does.

I needed to be reminded.

I have posted before that God has spoken that he has led me into the desert to speak tenderly to me, and this is one of those areas I know he wanted to speak into. I became aware of how much I was hiding in my own life. How I felt ashamed to admit that I had been searching out this recognition for so long. He has shown me that my writing is not only for me to use as an outlet but also to open the door for other’s to openly express themselves.  Let’s be people who aren’t afraid to lift the veil that we have been using to cover our sins, and expose the real humans that we are, and display how God has brought us through it all.  And how he is continuing to use it for His glory.