"Hey I Know You!" - Joey Ferrell

Many times, we all may run into someone that we either haven’t seen for a while, or maybe even someone that we don’t actually now well at all and the statement is heard “hey, I know you.” Sometimes we may know them well and just haven’t seen them in a while…or sometimes we really don’t “know” them at all.

I have shared before that I walk a lot for cardio needs. I have been doing that for a few years now and I choose to walk outside when I can in scenic areas. One particular area is the greenway beside the river where we currently live. If I park at the local gym and walk to the greenway and make one full lap and back to the gym it is about 3.2 miles. In the past several weeks, I have slowly increased the amount of times I walk the same path on the greenway until I am up to just over 7 miles each day that I walk. Now…I don’t share that to brag, although I am proud of myself for that!! I share that to say that when I walk, I get to see a lot of people over time. Some I know. Some I don’t. Some I have gotten to know through just speaking to them on the trails. But, let me tell you an interesting encounter from last week. It wasn’t on the greenway, or on the road to and from the gym, but it was at one of the restaurants that Kristie and I dine with.

There was a gentleman that I have seen in the restaurant many times. His presence is sort of a staple so to speak of the Tuesday taco night! Yep, that is why I go too…cheap tacos make a great dinner! So, the owner of the restaurant has gotten to know me from not only coming in but also through some of my family and…guess where else? The gym. We see each other there from time to time. We speak and encourage one another in our exercising efforts. So, the owner was talking to the gentleman and said something to me about going to the gym a lot earlier. It was then that the guy looked my way and said “Hey, I know you! I see you walking EVERY DAY.” Well, he was close. Not really. You see, he works at a business that is between the gym and the greenway, so he sort of is right. He does see me. He sees me twice some days. But…he does NOT see me every day! Let me emphasize that. I am not suggesting that he is wrong, but hear me out and keep reading.

This man has seen me walk that same route up to three times a week, but most likely not an average as that would be closer to two times a week on that route due to weather and travel. Some weeks, he does not see me at all walking, even though he may see me at the restaurant. But, he thinks he sees me every day…because that is what he has envisioned. Every time he sees me, it is pretty much like clock work. He knows he will see me maybe Monday, Wednesday, or Friday in the morning, and usually twice if he is in view to see me. I have since begun waving at him as I walk by as well.

I had to correct him. I told him I appreciate his thought, but that I didn’t walk every day and it was usually at best every other day during the week. His response was, it sure seems like I see you every day, I thought you walked every single day. That brings me to another thought that is related.

When he sees me, what does he see? You see, he already thinks he sees me every day, but how am I known when he sees me? I don’t know if he knows my name. He obviously can recognize my looks. He doesn’t know where I live, I don’t think. I don’t know these things about him either. And that is an invitation to me to open a door. But, when he and others see me, do they see some dude walking down the street, or do they see someone that is striving to be a good Christian? He probably does not know that I am a Christian. I mean, he has probably seen us pray eating…as I have seen him do the same. But is that the only time he has seen me displaying any form of Christianity? I don’t know. But I hope not.

The Bible calls Christians to be Christians EVERY DAY, not just on Sundays or Wednesdays IF we make it to meet with the saints. It does not call us to be Christians just on a certain day of the year. It does not call us to be Christians only in public or private. It calls us to be Christians EVERY SINGLE DAY in EVERY SINGLE WAY.

I know this may be a difficult correlation to see, but it made me think when he said he sees me every day, even though he doesn’t. Jesus sees me every day. He sees when I am walking, when I am at the restaurant, when I am at home, and when I am with the saints. But, what does he see?

This man sees me walking. He doesn’t know why I walk, but he told our mutual friend at the restaurant that he “is jealous of me because he doesn’t think he could do it.” That certainly is not true because I am not in some crazy hyped physical condition that allows me to perform better at walking than anyone else could. Sure I have “practiced” and built up to where I am at in my walking. But what would he see if he saw more of my Christianity? I certainly wouldn’t want him to be jealous of me, but I would want him to see that I am zealous for Christ.

What about you? We all have to ask the question of whether or not Jesus himself knows me and you. How does He know us? In John 10:14, Jesus says “I know my sheep…”. He also said that others will know whose I am based on my love for others in John 13:35. Does Jesus know you? Do others know you based on the way you live as a Christian? I pray that be the case, but maybe we need to do more to show through our lives that we live it out EVERY DAY and not just a couple days a week.

On an ironic note, this very week, as I walked that same route multiple times, one day in particular, I waved at this fella as I walked by. He waved back. About ten minutes later, a lady walked up to me on the path and said “don’t I know you? What is your name?” After telling her my name, she remembered that I had preached at the congregation she attends multiple times in the past few years, but she did not readily recognize me “outside of the pulpit and in dress clothes"“. Not less than 15 minutes later, I see another young lady and her children that I have also known through the church for well over 10 years, but she was surprised to see me in a different environment as well. I tell you this to say that those people know more about my Christianity than this other person so it isn’t just the world that can know us, but other Christians as well.

If you aren’t a Christian, Jesus does not know you. If you are a Christian, what does He see from you? Would the world know you are a Christian without having to tell them? If not, why not? He is waiting to see you EVERY DAY and I am waiting to hear Him say “Hey, I know you!”