I’ve faced much loss, and grief often lingers. However, it does not define me, and by God’s grace and through His strength, I choose to be better, not bitter.

I sometimes stumble, especially when dealing with health issues, the passing of loved ones, and the tough decision involved in my recent choice to retire. However, what I’ve discovered is that we all face crossroads in our lives. Our futures are shaped by the choices we make at those crossroads. We can either dwell on our pain or we can choose to fix our eyes on Jesus, who redeemed all our pain on the cross.

God always provides a way, and what seems so very hard often works out for our good, in accordance with His perfect plan.

Despite the heartaches, my story is one of redemption, and I live with the assurance that I love and serve a God who sees.

God sees our tears and hears our laments. Psalm 56:8, paraphrased, says: "God keeps track of our every toss and turn, through the sleepless nights; each tear is entered in His ledger, each ache is written in His book." Our Father sees us, just as He saw Hagar, and He walks with us through every struggle. When reading the story of Hagar, I put pen to paper, and the poem below is what flowed. May it bless you as you remember, He is the God who sees you!

The God Who Sees

God’s Word has been my anchor
His truth I know and trust
His promises have kept me
When dreams turned into dust

Stories like those of Hagar
Abandoned and forlorn
Her pain seemed so familiar
Those things I deeply mourn

When wounds were raw and tender
I found the God who sees
And in those desert places
He found me on my knees

He is the God who hears my cry
A God who’s always there
A God who loves, a God who saves
The God who answers prayer

I never could do life without
My God, who sees and hears
The God who knows my deepest thoughts
This Friend, who dries my tears

The God who calls me by my name
Has fashioned brand-new dreams
He’s led me through the wilderness
Where living waters stream

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13).Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.