HUMAN(KIND): A 5-Day Devotional on KindnessSýnishorn

To See and Be Seen

When I was five years old, all I knew about Alaska was that it was far away. Then my godparents moved to Anchorage, and my family and I suddenly had an excuse to go visit.

It was on the streets of Anchorage that I saw him. His skin was dark brown and leathery, like a well-loved pair of work boots. Sitting cross-legged on the concrete in a tattered white T-shirt, he said nothing as we passed, but he did something so unexpected that it caught me off guard. 

He looked me in the eye. 

In a split second, I could sense he was holding resolve and acceptance along with raw truth and hardship. He smiled, said nothing, and looked back down. 

“Dad?” I asked. “Do you have any change in your pocket?” 

“Here you go, darling,” he said. No questions, no hesitation. 

I pivoted on the sidewalk and headed with purpose back toward the man. In just a few paces, my skinny brown legs were squarely in front of him, his eyes meeting mine again in a comforting gaze. 

The coins were growing warm in my little hand. I bent down and released the money into his plastic cup. 

“Thank you,” he said in a shaky voice.

I smiled. “You’re welcome.”

With few words, he saw me—and he let me see him. 

In a cold and faraway place, I learned what it meant to see and be seen, even without knowing the whole story. I learned that even when I can’t control the outcome or someone else’s circumstances, giving honor is still worth it. 

There are cold and faraway places all around us—the neighborhoods we won’t enter, the family members we refuse to visit, the news channels and Twitter feeds that are off-limits—all based on our personal values and belief systems. 

But these people and places have the most potential to teach us. In spite of our discomfort, we can see and be seen. We can give and receive. By willingly entering cold and faraway places, we declare with our presence that, yes, good is here. May we stay long enough to honor it.

When have you felt honored by someone seeing you, even if they didn’t speak any words? Why is it loving to notice someone?