You Look Like My Friend

My husband and I recently participated in a cycling fundraiser to benefit a local trail project. The sign-up cost included a swag bag, a safety-yellow t-shirt, coupons, the obligatory lip balm and a wrist band for admittance to the food tent after the ride. 

The morning of the event it was an absolute sea of safety yellow. Over 450 riders, mostly dressed the same. Only a hand full opted not to wear the t-shirt we had been given. I was one of them. It’s not my best color. And there were no pockets on the back to store my energy snacks, so I wore one of my favorite jerseys from another event I had attended earlier this year.

After the ride, as we walked around, I searched the crowd for fellow club members who had mentioned attending but quickly realized that I wouldn’t recognize most of them if they walked up and punched me in the nose. Once we park our bicycles, remove our helmet and sunglasses, we are all strangely unfamiliar to each other. To make matters worse, most everyone was wearing the same bright yellow t-shirt. 

I was looking for one friend in particular, who I knew was there somewhere when I saw a woman parking her bicycle and from the back she looked like her… I watched her for a moment and called out expectantly, “Shelly?” The woman turned and looked at me. The blank look suggested that either A) she wasn’t Shelly – or B) like me, she didn’t recognize anyone either.

“Are you Shelly?”

“Nope.”

“I’m so sorry! You look like my friend. It's so hard to recognize anyone without helmets and sunglasses on!” 

I might have been embarrassed had she not enthusiastically agreed with me.

The Holy Spirit then prompted me to consider the spiritual implications of this scene. He seemed to be asking if the same situation occurs with my fellow believers. 

I attend a pretty large church, and I only know the names of a few dozen. Once we step outside the doors of our church and back into the ‘real world’ – do we become mere strangers to each other?  Would I recognize some familiar faces? I do serve as a door greeter almost every Sunday. Surely a few faces would at least demand a second glance. Or would I be calling out expectantly, looking for a friend?

I was reminded of a campfire song from my days at church camp that says,

“They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love,

They will know we are Christians by our love.”

But do we love each other well enough these days to be recognized as disciples of Christ? 

In John 13:34, Jesus gave his disciples a ‘new command’ to love one another as He had loved them. The original Greek word for new is kainos, which means new as in uncommon, unheard of, or dare I say, radical. And then He adds the following disclaimer in verse 35: 

John 13:35 (NASB)

 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

Loving as Christ loved is a tall order, no doubt. And without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it seems impossible. And in the flesh, it is. But as followers of Christ, we can love others that way. I’m not suggesting it’s easy. It takes deliberate, conscious effort. We will mess up. 

But the important thing is that we continue to try. 

We should be recognizable to each other within or without the four walls of a church building…with or without our helmet and sunglasses. 

More importantly is the One who recognizes us! 

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible, and it’s all about being known by God. He knows everything about us. Our thoughts. Our words. Our deeds. Where we are. Where we have been and where we are going. 

We cannot hide from God. He has known us since before we were ‘woven together in the depths of the earth’ (v15). He has ordained our days and written them in his book before we were born. 

He knows those who are His. (2 Timothy 2:19)

I am so grateful to be known by the Creator of the Universe! What an honor. What a privilege. 

He will always recognize me. 

✌🏻 🩷 🌸