I live about 15 miles from where our business is. Most days I take the scenic route on Hwy 89A, which also has the most terrible drivers, but that's another story...
Anyway the days I have errands to run I go the front route in past where my son Aaron works on Hwy 69. I often see him outside so I started honking every time I drove by, just to say hello. One short honk, one longer. That way he would know it was me. Many days I don't see him physically, but the front door is open, so I'm pretty sure he can hear me inside the building. Whether I see him or not I just want him to know that I am thinking about him. Acknowledging his existence and saying hey I know you're there! I hope it makes him feel thought of and loved and I know it makes me feel a bit of joy knowing he feels that.
As much so-called interaction there is with social media with all the tweets, posts, pics, texts, etc. it seems that more people are feeling lonely and forgotten today than in years gone by. Most of what passes as honest communication is really just an impersonal way of getting OUR lives and thoughts out there. We live in a box called a house. Climb in another box called a vehicle and go to another box called work. Then in our spare time we pick up another box, our computer or cell phone and have real, true and honest dialogue with others in our circle of friends and family. NOT! Don't get me wrong, I like going on Facebook and Pinterest and Instagram as much as the next person to see what's up and get caught up but that in no way takes care of my need for real human contact. For a face to face conversation, for a reassuring hug or just even a good hearty laugh, usually at my expense! We live in a busy time, running at a frenetic pace and wonder why we feel alone and lonely. I think what we truly miss, what we truly need is knowing that we are loved and thought of and precious to someone.
I think of when I drive past my son's work. How in the middle of whatever he is doing, he hears that special honk and gets a smile on his face. I know how I feel, hoping that I have put a smile on his face. Just a honk, but so much more.
There is someone who goes to so much more trouble than a honk to show acknowledgment and love. That someone is our God and Father. There are days that I feel alone. Even when I am in a crowd of people. It is easy to feel lost and unappreciated. It is easy to feel forgotten and alone. But then I look around me and I see those signs of a God who loves me. A God who thinks of me and cherishes me.
I see signs of His love everywhere. In a world filled with beauty that He created for our pleasure. Mountains, trees, animals, oceans, stars, flowers, all created by a God who loves us, not by some flatulent explosion of gas. I look at the intricacies of our bodies and see how a creative God had to have made things just so. I hear a baby's cry and think God has not forgotten us. I see the storms rolling in with our monsoon season and I hear the thunder and see the lightning and think God is powerful and on the throne. I hear the trees blowing in the wind and think God's Spirit is still moving on the earth. I think this is a God who wants to know me and who wants me to know Him. He takes delight in knowing I am looking for Him. That I am listening for His voice in this cacophony of noise we call daily life.
I go back to that honking of the horn. That show where everybody knows your name. Our basic human need to be recognized, accepted, approved of. Well, everybody may not know my name. And many days I may not feel accepted by those around me. But I do know that the One who fashioned me, who knows my very thoughts, who even numbers the hairs on my head thinks of me. He loves me. He cherishes and adores me. He calls me His own. He delights in me. Even when I cannot see Him, He makes it known that He is there. That I am not alone. That Someone knows my name, and shouts out so I can hear "Gail"!! I don't need everybody to know my name when I know that He knows my name.