Jesus is walking with us

"But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him."

This line caught my attention the other day while reading The Walk to Emmaus story in Luke 24:16 (NAB). I can't pinpoint exactly why I love this line, but I think it might be because the One the men are yearning for, confused about and disappointed in, the One they still want to place their hope in but just aren't sure, the One they want to save them, is walking right beside them and they don't even notice it's him until a while later in the breaking of the bread.

And then there's Mary Magdalene crying at the tomb in John 20:11-18, grieving over the death of her friend she loved so much that she stood at the foot of his cross as he died. She just wants to see Jesus' body, and when he's standing there, right in front of her, she mistakes him for the gardener.

Then he says her name.

"Mary!"

I imagine he must have said it with such love spilling over in his voice. His voice must have had such warmth in it, with a hint of a laugh peeking through those two syllables as a smile danced around his lips. He said those two syllables and communicated everything she needed to hear: "Come on, Mary, it's me. I'm right here, the one you're crying for."

I love that these people want Jesus so badly, but they don't recognize he's there right beside them all along. They're looking everywhere but right around them. They should know Jesus will be wherever they are, but they forget who Jesus is and what he promised. They forget that he is faithful and doesn't change, that he would never leave them alone, confused and hurting.

I also love the great patience and love Jesus has for these people. He wants to help them make sense of their chaos, to tell them the truth about himself. He could tell them it's him, but he waits, being content just to be with them until they're ready to recognize him.

I think this line resonates so deeply within me because I yearn to hear Jesus say my name, to have him speak his truth to me and tell me about himself, too. I want to see him, to live in him and in the peace that is his presence. Just like Mary and the guys nearly 2,000 years ago, there's an incompleteness within me that just wants Jesus.

The beautiful part? Just like 2,000 years ago, Jesus just wants us, too, and he's saying our name sweetly and full of love a million times everyday, revealing his truth to us through each other and every good thing around us. Everything Jesus was for Mary and the guys, he is for us, too. He's walking with us in our confusion, hurt, fear and normal lives, waiting for us to receive all his love and blessings, to let our situations lead us to him.

He's actively seeking us out and waiting for us to recognize him all around and within us.

Mia Pohlman is a Perryville, Mo., native studying at Truman State University. She loves performing, God and the color purple -- not necessarily in that order.