There’s this South African word normally used as a greeting — “Sawubona!”

Literally, it means, “I see you.”

“I see you!” and it’s not just, “I see you with my eyes,” but also, “I see you with my heart. I see you as a person. I see your worth, your dignity, your value.”

Also, it is interpreted as ‘the God in me sees the God in you.’

The God in me sees the God in you!

A story is told about the Buddha. One day, he was sitting under a tree meditating. An arrogant, young man walked by, saw him, noticed his weight and fat, and said, “You look like a pig!”

The Buddha gently opened his eyes, looked at the young man and said, “And you… you look like God!”

Taken aback by the comment, the young man said, “Why do you say that I look like God?”

“Well,” the Buddha replied, “we don’t really see what’s outside of ourselves, we see what’s inside of us and project it out… I sit here and think about God, and so when I look out there… when I look at others… that is what I see…” The Buddha added, “And you — I don’t know — but for sure you must be thinking about other things!”

When our minds are far away from God, when our thoughts are not from Him, isn’t that what happens?

If we find it difficult to see God in others, we have to cultivate more of our life in Him, we have to make Him more present in our hearts.

Only then are we able to say to one another — even without saying — “Sawubona!”

The God in me sees the God in you!