Here I Am; Look at Me - Teri Verduyn

When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13 NIrV

In December 2007, my son Justin and I went to Antarctica.

We have traveled to each continent and discovered God on all seven. In Africa, we saw people who loved God and followed him faithfully living in wretched conditions. We received hospitality from the Australians that mirrored what Jesus gave to sinners. Asians joyfully shared their food and possessions with us like the poor widow who gave her two coins to Jesus. But, on each of the seven continents, we remembered that we lived as sojourners, waiting for our eternal home in heaven.

The Israelites were banished to Babylon and forced to wait in a new land. Jeremiah prophesied via a letter that, although they longed to return to Israel, they should engage in Babylonian life because God had a plan for them and hope for their future. God promised if they searched and called to him at the end of the exile, he would listen to them and return them to Jerusalem.

Today, God’s promise still holds. If we call to him, he will listen. But, unfortunately, it took a penguin to make me hear him.

This picture is one of 5,000 I took of the penguins and their environment. The rule—take only memories, leave only footprints—required us to socially distance from the penguins. As a result, the picture shows the penguin standing in the midst of us.

As I reviewed the picture, I thought about the trip. It took forever to fly to Antarctica, and we spent an atrocious amount of money to get there. But then, we stood looking at our cameras and not looking at the adorable little chinstrap penguin. Can you hear him say, “Here I am, look at me?”

Sometimes, I neglect Jesus, just as I neglected the penguin. I go to church, read my Bible, and serve others. I look for Jesus and call out to him but don’t hear him because I get distracted with the urgent. He stands next to me, saying, “Here I am. Look at me.”

Don’t miss Jesus. An incredible journey results when we follow him.

Father, help us seek Jesus in everything we do.

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Teri Verduyn lives in Fargo, North Dakota, with her husband. She works as a financial advisor and pursues a ministry in writing Bible studies and non-fiction articles. She and her husband love their family, traveling, photography, and serving Christ together. 

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