Do you know I’m invisible?

Do you ever feel invisible? I do.

I’ve felt invisible in a crowded room and I’ve felt invisible in an intimate small group. When I feel invisible, I often think of Hagar from the Bible. (You can read her story in Genesis 16) What I think of specifically is her sitting by a spring, all alone and when she is visited by the angel of the Lord she says, “You are the God who sees me, I have now seen the One who sees me.” The Bible says that Hagar gave God the name, El Roi, which means, the God who sees.

I absolutely love that. I love knowing that when I feel invisible, there is One who still sees me.

What is it that makes you feel invisible?

Perhaps you’re single but desperately want to be married. You struggle with loneliness and wonder what’s wrong with you when all your friends have a special someone. As your friends talk about their relationships, you not only feel alone, but invisible.

Maybe you’re married and your husband makes you feel invisible; maybe his focus is on everyone and everything except you, and you long for his undivided attention.

Maybe it’s your children. When our children are little it’s easy to feel like we’re doing everything for everyone and no one notices. Motherhood can be a thankless job and it can make you feel invisible.

Maybe your kids are older and everyone in your family is running in different directions and they don’t need you the way they did when they were little. As your children begin to live their own lives, you begin to feel invisible.

Perhaps it’s your in-laws, and you feel that no matter what you do, you’ll never be good enough for their son. It’s easier to ignore you than to get to know you, so at family functions, you’re left feeling alone and invisible.

Maybe you have a happy marriage but your husband’s job leaves you feeling invisible. I have girlfriends whose husbands have prestigious jobs. People stand in line to talk to their husbands, but no one ever stands in line to talk to them. So, at every social event, they’re left feeling invisible.

Maybe you’ve been through a divorce. Regardless of whose decision it was to end the marriage, you have friends who don’t know how to be there for you. Your friends think it’s easier to ignore you than to try and figure out what you need. So, in your time of need, you’re left feeling alone and invisible.

Maybe for the first time in your life, you’re living alone. You long for a hand to hold, for friendly conversation, for someone to need you. Maybe you feel like no one understands and you don’t know how to fill that void. Let me remind you that God sees you and you’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve decided to go against the grain. When we decided to homeschool our boys, I lost good friends because they didn’t understand my decision and it was just easier to ignore me then to try and understand. Perhaps you were a working mother and have decided to quit your job and stay home. Or, perhaps you were a stay-at-home mom who has now decided to go back to work…but your friends don’t support your decision and as they distance themselves, you start to feel invisible.

Ladies, the list of scenarios is endless. And the thing about feeling invisible is that it can last for years, a lifetime even, or maybe it’s something you only feel once in a while in certain situations and it only lasts for a matter of minutes. Whether it’s long term or short term, I’m willing to bet everyone has felt it at some point in their lives. And if you can honestly say you haven’t felt it, I’m willing to bet you will. And in those times we must remember that we are not invisible to our God.

I love Jeremiah, 23:23&24 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?”

I’ve heard people say, “Don’t forget, God is always watching!” But, they say it almost as a threat. The intention there is to remind us that we can’t hide our sins, God is always watching. And while that statement is true, it’s so much more than that.

We should have a healthy fear of God. But, knowing that God is always watching us shouldn’t scare us, it should comfort us. That knowledge should help us through those moments when we feel alone and invisible.

I want to share with you an excerpt from the book, “Do you know who I am?” by Angela Thomas. Read this as if God were speaking directly to you. May this bring you comfort and help you to know, you are not invisible…not to God!

Do you know who I AM?

I AM the God who sees.

My eyes move all across the earth so that I can strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Me. I look to the ends of the earth and see everything under the heavens. My eyes are on your ways, and I see all your steps. I look from heaven and see all who inhabit the earth. My daughter, don’t forget that I AM the One who fashioned your heart. I AM the One who understands all your works.

There is nowhere you can run from MY presence. I AM wherever you are. Darkness cannot overwhelm you because darkness is not dark to me. For me, the night is as bright as the day. My eyes are on the righteous. I see what you give and pray and fast in secret.  You are not invisible to me. I AM your Guardian God. I will not let your foot slip, neither will I fall asleep or slumber. I will be your guard when you leave and when you return. I AM the guardian who watches over you now and always.

You are my beloved and I AM your God who sees

Forever and ever, amen.