"THERE you are!"

I spent the past weekend in a town called Zapallar, Chile through my teaching program in a retreat...a retreat to look back at our experience, look forward the future for the new incoming teachers, and to have a time to relax and reflect on our life in general. It was a weekend where I truly felt God speak to me and show me how His hands have been in so much over the past year, but in particular my relationship. To realize that the person who brings you the closest to the Lord is the person who you want to spend the rest of your life with is nothing short of incredible, and this weekend was nothing but confirmation of that thought through reflection and prayer.

In the retreat, there was one certain reflection that really struck me as amazing. The reading above from Matthew is one that I've read ever since a child, and it was one I've always thought was fairly clear: Jesus is present in all, and when you help someone else you are helping Him as well. I've always thought about this reading on a deeper level, where others may not be hungry just for food but for something else...and this reflection really made that "something else" shine through. 

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, "At the end of our lives we will not be judged by how many diplmoas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by: I was hungry and you gave me food. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in. Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing - but naked of human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks - but homeless because of rejection. This is Christ in distressing disguise."

When I heard this quote, I was taken aback...have I really LOOKED for people who are hungry for love, or naked of human dignity, or homeless because of rejection in my life? Do I always look past what is so apparent on the surface into what a person really truly needs? Do I see Jesus in others, and do I always go out of our way to attend their every need?

I know as a teacher, I interact with kids all the time. And sometimes I may be in a bad mood, or there's just too many kids yelling, or there's just so much to do in the classroom and I'm in a hurry...but I feel like there's been lots of times where I might have "missed" something in a child. A chance to say a kind word, an opportunity to give positive feedback, a pat on the back...something that can brighten a child's day. But not only in the children, but in people like my roommates, my friends, even Tomilyn, who I always am trying to fulfill and upheld...we need to look past just what we see, despite how we might feel that day, INTO the person...to get in their proverbial face, really look inside, and see the real heart and soul and what it needs.

There's a beautiful scene that depicts this search in others. In the movie Hook, Peter Pan and Roofio confront each other on a beach. Roofio calls Peter Pan a fraud, that he should be the rightful leader, and demands that the Lost Boys come to his side. They all rush over to Roofio...except for the smallest Lost Boy, Pockets. Pockets slowly walks around Peter, seemingly searching for something...he gets Peter to get down on one knee, and he starts to touch his face. He runs his hands over Peter's eyes, squeezes his cheeks, and scrunches seemingly everything together. But as soon as Pockets pushes Peter's mouth into a smile, this look overcomes Pockets...one of warm recognition, one of joy in finding something that was thought long lost...and he slowly cries out, "Ohh....THERE you are, Peter!"


It's exactly this that we need to do in others. We need to inspect them, we need to search deep and look at the REAL them...and once we find them, we need to attend to their needs. Jesus is in all of us, just waiting for us to see Him shine through. Once we start to find Jesus in our friends, our roommates, classmates in Palmer West, students in St. George, each other in our relationship..once we find Him, not only can we help Him, but we can reflect Him in our interactions with everyone we encounter. What a beautiful thing, to be able to be Jesus's light to our loved ones!