Attention : Conveying appropriate interest, concern, and care; taking notice of others and making an effort to enter into their respective worlds. (1 Corinthians 12:25 NASB)
The need for attention can seem kind of, well….needy. You may think when someone is looking for attention that they are saying to the world, “Look at ME!” In a way, they are, kind of. Let me explain.
When someone has a high need for attention this may be what they are searching for:
- Enter my world
- Take notice of what I enjoy and do it with me
- Give me opportunities to share my thoughts and dreams with you
- Listen to me
- Invite me in
So you see, having the need for attention is different than what you might initially think. At times people may not understand why they need attention and he/she may seek it in ways that seem so…… big. Their body language says “look at me!” He/She may try to steal the focus in the room or point out things they have done. For reasons such as these, is why we may think of those people as “attention seekers” but in a negative way.
May I ask you to look at the real reason he/she may be jumping up and down and waving their arms to get your attention? Inside they may feel unnoticed, not important, even unlovable. It is a possibility that people important to them rarely enter their world, take notice of them, listen to them or invite them into their own world.
If you are an attention “needer,” (not “seeker”) do you feel the same way with God? Do you feel that God doesn’t or even won’t notice you? Oh, friend, He surely does!!! He notices everything about you! My favorite Psalm is 139. I invite you to please read it and remind yourself of these truths when you feel unnoticed. Grasping these truths may just change your life! (If you know some attention needers, would you please share this Psalm with them?)
Now that I think of it, every person needs appropriate attention! No one wants to be void of real, meaningful relationships. You don’t. I don’t. Who does? We are built to be known and to know others, just like Jesus said we would. He even defined eternal life in John 17 as “knowing God” and “Jesus Christ whom He has sent”!
I guess we might as well admit it; we need each other, we were built to need others; we were built to be needed by others and to be loved. That’s another way to look at the need for attention in a positive way – as God designed!
- Have you admitted to God lately just how much you need Him? The blessed person in Matthew 5:3 is the one who recognizes and admits “desperate need for God”. Jesus calls that person “poor in spirit”. How about you – “poor in spirit” or “in need of nothing /no one”?
Psalm 139 is an acknowledgment that he, the writer, is and always has been known and loved by God even before he was old enough to realize or be grateful for God’s involvement in his life. Have you expressed your need for God and appreciation of the life you’ve been given?
After talking to Jesus about His attention to you, would you talk to a friend about God’s attention to details in your life – physically, spiritually, and relationally? When someone does pay proper attention to you, what would be an appropriate response to them? After all- you are fearfully and wonderfully made, aren’t you?