This was the question that I was asked by a young boy from a nearby village as I was returning from the kitchen with my breakfast of pao’ (a bread roll) and cha’ (tea). Thankfully, this time I was able to answer “Yes, you are Nelson”. 

Here in Pemba there are so many new lives that I am a part of. One of my constant prayers is that God would help me learn not only names and faces but deeper identities.This is quite a request with the close to 200 children at this center and the tia’s and tio’s (aunties and uncles) who take care of them. There are also many of the local people employed and serving in ministry, education, construction, transportation, kitchen help and cleaning and children who come in from the villages. It is one thing for me to greet them with a smile and a cheerful bom dia (good morning) but often times they want to know … Do you remember me?… Do you know my name?

This morning Nelson’s question stuck with me. It made me think of how we were all created with a desire to know and be known, ultimately by our Creator, but also by one another. We were fashioned to dwell in relationships. This is what makes the Christian faith so unique. Jesus came to earth with the express purpose of death by the cross, so that He being perfect, could pay the price for the judgement against us. This was the only way that we could regain the intimate relationship with Himself, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit that was there before sin entered the picture in the garden. 

I think of the times I have come before my heavenly Father needing to know … “Do you remember me?”,  ”Do you know my name?”, “Do you know what I am going through?”. I am so thankful for the affirming warmth of His presence and the many clear answers in His Word to settle that question forever. Psalm 139 is a favorite. There is also Matthew 10:30 or Luke 12:7 which tell how the hairs of our head are numbered! Isaiah 49:15-16a reads “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands”. This was the inspiration for the drawing on my ”Updates” page.One last reference I will give is something that stood out to me years ago. The Israelites were entrenched in slavery to the Egyptians and God sent Moses. Exodus 4:31 reads “And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped”. There is something so very comforting and healing in the comprehension of being known and loved. As I continue to grow in the depth of this knowledge I will persist in praying that I may also be an example of it. When I am asked “Do you remember me?”, I want to be able to answer with a strong “yes”, allowing another to feel known and treasured.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 29th, 2007 at 10:32 am and is filed under Thoughts & Communications . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.