Elroy: God Who Sees Our Hidden Shame

Hagar becomes the first person in scripture to give God a name, and did you catch what she names God? She names God Elroy, which means the God who sees me. Elroy. Not the God who fixed the situation, not the God who helped me out, no, the God who sees me. Hagar was invisible to everyone else, she's in the wilderness and she encounters a God who looks right at her, doesn't reject her, embraces her, sees her, embraces her, does not look away. [01:02:58] (49 seconds)  #ElRoySees

So the more we hide, the more we're convinced that this hidden thing will destroy us if it's seen, and the more we convinced we become that it will destroy us if it's seen, then the more we hide, and this is kind of ongoing cycle of shame. But here is where the story turns. Are you ready for the story to turn? Hagar fled from Sarai. She fled alone, she was pregnant, used up, discarded, no social standing, no legal protection, no advocate, most forgotten person in the story, and God finds Hagar. [01:01:08] (47 seconds)  #GodFindsTheForgotten

What if you believed that that was true about the God you served? That the same God who met Hagar in the wilderness is meeting you in your wilderness as well? Shame says, you better hide, you better stay small, don't let them see. Elroy says, I already see. I've always seen, and what I see is worth loving. [01:08:40] (29 seconds)  #SeenAndLoved

Now, when shame moves in, it doesn't just hurt us, it occupies us. It takes up all the space in the room. People who feel shame without recognizing it for what it is, they can control like we've already named, they can become aggressive, they can withdraw, or they can simply exhaust themselves trying so hard to to control situations. They get completely worn out by it. [00:59:22] (30 seconds)  #ShameOccupies

And so Maya turns to a God who sees her and heard the whispers, You are loved and you are accepted. And so the next day, Maya goes to a friend, and her friend, she tells her friend, I've got a problem, and I'm gonna need some help. Her friend says, you know what, Maya, I know. I love you. Let's get you the help that you need. And that was the beginning of Maya's healing. [01:04:37] (31 seconds)  #HealingThroughSupport

So remind us today that you you are the God who sees, not the God who sees and turns away, but the God who finds us in our wilderness, asks us our name, and calls us beloved before we have done a single thing to deserve it. Today, we pray for those who feel invisible, who have been made to feel like they don't belong or don't count or don't deserve to take up space. We pray for the invisible victims of wars and conflicts and violence around the globe. [00:35:44] (47 seconds)  #PrayForTheInvisible

Shame tells us, if they see us, they will reject us. If I am seen, I will be outcast. But Elroy, the God who sees in Elroy, Sarai Hagar found that she was already seen and already accepted. Now, let's get to Maya. Let's think about Maya's turning point. It wasn't something she didn't hit rock bottom, it wasn't big and bold, but on a Tuesday evening, sitting in front of the bottle, recognizing that her life is not going the way that she wants it to go. [01:03:47] (40 seconds)  #SeenNotRejected

Now, Sarai has followed Abram across continents following this promise of God, you will multiply, And she's followed him all this time believing that this is true. She's been trusting, she's been waiting, and yet nothing. Month after month, she waits, and she decides, it appears, well, is wrong with me, I am not enough. She doesn't speak her shame out loud, but we can infer that it's there from her actions. [00:55:56] (41 seconds)  #InfertilityShame