I see

I watched something yesterday that opened my eyes a little, well a lot actually , they were talking about the men who built the great Cathedrals, the builders are unknown, these Cathedrals took 100 years to build, they started something knowing they would never see it finished,  to build things their names would never be on.  They say things like these massive beauties aren’t built anymore because no one is willing to put in that kind of sacrifice on something they may never see completed, it was recorded that a builder was carving a tiny bird in a beam that was to be covered, and they asked him why he would spend so much time on something no one would see…his reply was God sees.  That is what we are doing everyday though, we are pouring into people around us, into our kids building something beautiful and it is possible we will never see the finished product, but the purpose of the love and time we pour out is not to be seen it is to create something bigger, to point them to God, carving the tiniest most beautiful bird knowing it will never be seen by man but ultimately knowing, God see’s I am not invisible to him.   Can you imagine a work so great you would never see its completion but without knowing that is what our lives work is!   It is so easy to get caught up in things that can be seen, we do things hoping for recognition or a pat on the back, we are so conditioned to attaboys, even my bible app has a streak, praising me for reading everyday,  but that is not what fulfills you, what brings true joy,  the things we do when no one is watching, the deeds unpraised done solely for the good of another, those are the moments that are beautiful, the ones that don’t earn facebook post or streaks.  I volunteered on Saturday and experienced something it took me several days to process out exactly what happened,  I got the opportunity to help a lady who had custody of her 3 grandkids and she was so frazzled and distraught at the unexpected responsibility, I spent a large amount of time with her sorting through wants and needs and I walked her to the door and wished her a Merry Christmas, as I turned to help the next person she grabbed me up in one of those- oh wow your squeezing me really hard hugs-  at first my instinct was to push away, she smelled like she had been smoking with the windows up, but I didn’t I hugged her back and it was a longer than normal hug and she whispered God Bless you.  The days after I focused on the awkwardness of it but it wasn’t until my mom said maybe she needed that hug, it could have been a long time since she had a good hug.  It was then I realized maybe she needed that hug more than she needed all the shopping done and the kids prepared for but the relief that those things brought pushed that hug right to the top, and now as I sit I am grateful I experienced that and I think maybe the most important thing I handed out Saturday was that hug.