“Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith. ‘Abraham!’ God
called.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Here
I am!’” Genesis 22:1
The expression, “Here
I am!” is the English translation of the Hebrew word Hineni. Hineni means “Behold! See me!”
There’s a very short
scene in the movie Avatar that touches my heart every time I see it. I feel it
reflects the essence of what Abraham is doing when he asks God to see him. The
main character in the movie is learning the ways and language of the indigenous
people. Their greeting, “I see you,” literally
means I see your wonderful, most precious
person and celebrate the gift of you being in the here and now with me. I see your soul, the manifestation of all you are and all you long to be. I see your worth!
The soul bit is from the movie. My ability to see into another's soul is not within human capabilities. That belongs to God. I can only see as much of another's soul as they choose to reveal to me or through an in-sight gifted by the Holy Spirit.
When Abraham asks
God to see him, he is laying himself down in naked vulnerability. (Smile.) There
isn’t a fig leaf in sight.
Ok. Now I have to ask
the question, what’s the difference between a soul and a spirit?
Thank You again,
Lord, for Google!
Got Questions gives
this definition: The soul and the spirit
are connected, but separable (Hebrews 4:12). The soul is the essence of
humanity’s being; it is who we are. The spirit is the immaterial part of
humanity that connects with God.
Like when Adam and
Eve were hiding after eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, I am sure
God knew exactly where Abraham was. Their responses weren’t for God’s benefit
but for theirs. God’s invitation, His calling our name, is an open door to
community and relationship with Him.
The Psalmist
describes the sort of seeing we are to ask of God. “Search me, God, and know my
heart.” Psalm 139:23
Letting in and letting go. That’s what
all this is about. I know there are places in my soul that are broken and it’s hard
to look them in the eye. Let’s call it what it is: sin (sin being anything that
keeps me apart from God.) Yet, despite these things, I know I can turn to God
for healing, grace and forgiveness. My “here I am” is an eager battle cry to
overcome and an even more eager quest for truth.
I have been guilty
of not seeing others, of marginalizing their presence in my life. It’s
something I need to work on and practice. In this day of technological
separation, living with an I See You
attitude just might make all the difference in the world to someone else.
AMEN!
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