When I asked
people what made them feel that way, they said:
“When people
only know me if I’m with my husband.”
“When I
walked into my first college lecture and sat down with 200-300 other freshman I
thought, ‘Who am I? Who even cares? Who would notice if I’m here or not?’ It
was overwhelming after coming from high school honor classes with less than twenty
students.”
“When I was
in the army. I felt like I was just a number on a list, so they could schedule
me for KP duty.”
“The first
year of motherhood!”
“When people
who’ve known me for years still mispronounce my first name.”
“As a child in an abusive home I learned to be invisible
from a very early age. It's become a way of life.”
“In rehab. They told us we didn’t need to thank people, and
we weren’t allowed to compliment others or have any physical contact (even
hugs). This was very hard for me because I grew up in an incredibly loving and
encouraging family who put emphasis on praise. And human touch was also huge.
It was hard for me to feel good about myself when I never heard positive
feedback.”
“When I was
the only vender at an event whose name was not listed on the program.”
“Sometimes
as a busy wife and mom I feel all I do is clean, pick up, cook, and do laundry.
With everyone’s busy schedule I think it gets taken for granted all the little
things moms do to keep a house going. Then I remember God gave me this family
to serve and it reminds me He is watching and He notices.”
“Most days at church I feel invisible. I don’t
know why.”
“At the end
of my marriage my husband would enter and exit the room without acknowledging
me; talk to me without making eye contact; and lay beside me in bed without
touching. He didn’t see me anymore.”
“At my last
job I felt unnoticed and ignored in my department, by my supervisor and other
employees. People who still work there occasionally say, ‘Hey, haven’t seen you
lately.’ I haven’t worked there for eight months!”
“When I walk
in the door after work and no one pauses long enough to greet me anymore.”
“When all my
six children were teenagers.”
If you can relate
to these examples, you know how painful it can be to feel invisible.
Hagar was
Abram and Sarai’s Egyptian slave. They got tired of waiting for God to give
them a child and Hagar got caught in the middle. When she got pregnant by Abram,
Hagar flaunted it; Sarai mistreated her. Abram caved to his wife’s demands, and
Hagar ran away to the desert. She had reason to feel angry, used, afraid, and
like she didn’t matter to anyone. That’s when God did a beautiful thing.
The angel of
the LORD let her know she wasn’t alone.
He told her she had a future and so did her child. He said to go
back and serve her mistress. After this visit from God, she felt like she could. Hagar
said, “You are the God who sees me…I have now seen the One who sees me” (Gen.
16:13).
Sometimes we’re
mistreated by God’s own people. Hagar was. When God’s plan takes too long, His
people sometimes try their own way, and we make a mess. We hurt people. They
end up feeling unimportant and invisible.
Hagar started
comparing herself to Sarai and enjoyed feeling superior for once; the servant
had one on the mistress. But then everything fell apart. Have you ever done
that and ended up losing everything? Then,
ashamed and afraid, you run away. Worries come—How will you survive? How can
you go back? Does anybody care whether you live or die?
Like Hagar,
we have a Heavenly Father who knows us by name. He sees who we are and
everything we do. He looks on our accomplishments and efforts with parental
pride and delight. He is the God who sees you; you’re not invisible.
“You have
searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1
Jesus sees each of us before we know
Him personally and He wants us to come to Him and be loved. “‘How do you know
me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the
fig tree before Philip called you.’”John 1:48
“Do not fear,
for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah
43:1
Even when
your emotions tell you no one sees you or cares what happens to you, there is
One who does. And He loves you unconditionally.
#Godwhoseesme
#youknowme #Iseeyou #Heknowsmyname #feelingunimportant #nooneseeswhatIdo
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