Home | Articles | Poetry | About The Author | Contact Us |
For all those who feel invisible now yet are never invisible to our Creator
Have you ever felt invisible to others? As a child I felt invisible many times and this was reinforced with messages such as “children should be seen and not heard” so much so, that I truly believed children should be quiet and have no voice. Many years later the children of the world today seem to be less disciplined, even brattish in many ways. Now, there is a balance of course, where children need boundaries and manners taught responsibly. It is all in the parenting with parents of today in the world often getting things wrong, preferring to be friends with their children rather than the authority figure deeply loving them by guiding their way through valuable investment with time, attention, and consistency in teaching right from wrong. There is plenty of time to be friends when children have grown into adults and may have their own families to teach and train.
Being invisible, not literally of course, but invisible in the sense that we somehow do not really matter, are dispensable, there to be used and then discarded if someone better comes along, is a horrible feeling to have when trying to live in this world and line up with God’s ways. God definitely has something meaningful to say about this important matter because favouritism does not work, it breeds contempt, jealousy; fights may ensue by way of competition for attention and reward.
In the workplace there are those who “climb the corporate ladder” seemingly able to get ahead or fast track themselves by stepping on others. Their methods may consist of any number of underhanded means to involve lies, gossip, blackmail, false witness, and/or even sabotage. This actually happened to me not too long after becoming a Christian seeking to keep God’s Sabbath and annual holy day festivals. Watching others clambering to be in the popular or “inner circle” striving for recognition, to be liked, accepted, even given preferential treatment and thought of as indispensable, can be irritating and annoying, but ultimately it is really quite sad. As we know, no one is indispensable — we may like to think we are irreplaceable — but the simple reality is that we are not. Anyone who has been working long enough will eventually learn that this is true.
Whether we work or not, there are plenty of other ways we may feel invisible. For instance, driving on our roads and freeways today, road rage rears its ugly head, with infuriated drivers roaring past when sudden “lead footitis” kicks in relieving their anger evidenced in outbursts that defy any semblance of self control. These drivers tear up the road as if nobody else is around. No indication, no respect in obeying any road rules, but that pressing urge to take control of the road even if they speed well over any limit just so they can be first. Some even do this by dangerously weaving in and out of traffic deliberating missing cars by a few millimetres, that is, maybe only a couple of inches in the old measurement system. Do they care; do they stop and think of the consequences if something happens, such as an accident, an injury, or even death? That is the trouble — no they do not care, as long as they get ahead and are number one. Sometimes I find myself wishing I was part of the undercover police force so I could stop these crazy drivers and give them warning that they are not exempt from the law. But all in good time. God’s time. For now I need to give it all to God in prayer and trust Him. He sees all and knows all and that is truly comforting. In the meantime I will still choose to stick to the speed limit to obey the road rules, and not let these road ragers bully me. Defensive driving is definitely necessary in these times as well as asking for daily protection from our Father.
Another way we may feel invisible is to our physical family. Some have been persecuted by family members for a time after being called out of the world. Some may still be treated abhorrently because their family has entirely the wrong perception of their dedication to God and His ways. This also happened to me. I was taken to a psychiatrist because the difference was so dramatic. On the day I was called out of the world I became euphoric for several weeks. My family saw such a huge change they believed I was in a cult and being taken advantage of because I no longer kept xmas or any pagan holidays. Then, for a time, none of them wanted anything to do with me. During those years I felt even less than invisible. I felt like I no longer existed in their eyes. I was dead in their opinion. God fixed all of that with the passing of time. I have no doubt that God organised certain unusual events to occur so that one by one members of my family each needed help and reached out to me. I was there to help them in their time of need and now they have accepted that my faith is here to stay and not some whim or fleeting fancy. They can see the long term effects of consistency in completely changing my lifestyle. I am no longer invisible to them.
There are many ways we may feel invisible to others but we need to keep a few things in mind. God knows exactly what others say about us, how we are treated or mistreated, and what others may do to hamper our best efforts. Should we worry, get upset, or be overly concerned? We would not be human if we did not feel sad, cry, or troubled to some degree about all these humanistic matters. After all we are made to want and need relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and neighbours.
To put things into their proper perspective we need to go to God’s Word, His Holy Bible, our instruction manual for life. All the wisdom, understanding and knowledge are there for us to seek out, read, and carry through into behaviours that resemble Christ so that we are becoming more Christ like and less like ourselves. The day we were baptised was the day symbolically the “old man” was buried. The old man tries to resurface at times and that is exactly when we need to resist and overcome our carnal human nature, so that we empty ourselves and fill up on Christ, our older brother, our Saviour (Ephesians 4:22-24).
Invisibility Can Be A Blessing For These End Times
As much as I do not like feeling invisible in this world there are bound to be times when it would be an incredible blessing. Currently, there are instances where I find myself praying for invisibility from anyone who may be hostile or a potential enemy in the workplace. In Matthew 10:16, God tells us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Prayer before leaving for work is vital for me before entering a new place or revisiting sites that have argumentative staff. Some bosses definitely cause division and stress between their workers and can affect the status quo with poor leadership and lack of good management skills. It can make for an extremely challenging day when nursing sick people. It would be quite an understatement to say, that as an agency staff member filling a temporary role, one can open themselves up to all sorts of problems culminating in dangerous outcomes. God’s protection is absolutely vital and He does provide it for those who ask.
Remember all those times when David had to flee for his life in the Bible? It seemed like David was running and hiding from his enemies for a very long time and he grew weary of fighting for his life, so he gave it all to God in humble, heartfelt prayer. David realised he could not do anything on his own might and that it all came from God. He wrote many Psalms to God asking for protection, guidance, to make his pathway plain, for his enemies to be confounded and defeated according to God’s great love and mercy. There are so many Psalms to read and refer to, but I would like to particularly single just one out here. Psalm 119:114 says: “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word”. This says to me that David felt not only protected but invisible to his enemies because of God’s blessings through miraculous intervention. God built David’s faith and He can certainly build yours too.
I have to wonder if there was ever a time when Jesus wanted to be invisible to those persecuting Him. There is an instance in Luke 4:16-30 where Jesus escaped from the midst of crowds who were enraged and wanted to throw Him over a cliff. After reading this account it would seem to be not so unreasonable to think Jesus may have made Himself invisible to make His way of escape. Perhaps He changed his appearance temporarily so that He could exit hastily. However it happened the fact remains Jesus was invisible to those crowds — many people — that is not an easy thing to do when throngs are determined and calling for blood, injury, or death. Christ got away from His persecutors in order to fulfill prophecy.
We know that the times ahead are coming when there will be great tribulation. We are told not to have fear or be overly concerned because God will ensure we are protected and safe from harm if we stay close to Him. Set about gathering more oil daily like the 5 wise virgins in Matthew 25:4 to ensure an abundance of God’s Holy Spirit in order to counteract the deception that will come. Wherever we may be in the times ahead, may God be our high tower of strength, a place where we can run to and hide so that we will be invisible to our enemies (Proverbs 18:10).