Why You Long to Be Noticed

By Sandra Bretschneider

Every day I scroll through faces and words on my phone. Beautiful pictures and amazing accomplishments clamor for attention. We all want to be noticed in this busy world full of people. Rarely do we share our nakedness—our weaknesses, ugly pictures, or hardships. Nobody will ever see those parts of us.

Though our naked, vulnerable parts are hidden from most of the world, God sees them. He sees everything, (Psalm 139:1-4). We may hide behind smiling faces and words like “okay” and “fine”, (perhaps even in our prayers) but God knows. Way before our time, nakedness felt no shame.

“The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” Genesis 2:25, NIV

Sin changed everything. Just as soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they saw their nakedness and hid.

“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” Genesis 3:9-10, NIV

And so began the unending sin of hiding from God.

And yet, our desire to be seen and loved never changed. But why? Why do we want to be noticed? Why do we want the “likes”, affirmations, applause? What drives us to want such affections?

“From one man he [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27, NIV

God made us to seek him.

And God is love, (1 John 4:16).

We want to be noticed through worldly affirmations and applause, but what we’re ultimately seeking after is love. God is the unconditional love we long for.

Why can’t we see we’re searching for it in all the wrong places? There’s only one who will love us when we’re naked, vulnerable, ugly, weak, and sinful.

And perhaps, instead of chasing after wind and seeking to be noticed in a world full of broken lovers, we should seek God in hidden places—naked, vulnerable—and satisfied by him alone.

“for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9, NIV

I invite you to watch the trailer of Sara Hagerty’s book “Unseen.” Every bit of what I shared with you today was inspired by the message of her book. Sara is a talented writer, but what I love most about her is that everything she writes is saturated in the Word of God.