Invisible People

When I was a child, I would wonder what life would be like if I could become invisible.  As I grew older, I soon found the answer. I had experienced being invisible to people around me.

There are invisible people everywhere. They are in our churches, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our hospitals, in our nursing homes, in our shopping centers, and even in our homes. Who are these invisible people?  They are people who are ignored by those around them as though they were invisible.

For example people can come to a church. They sit alone. A few people may say “hello” to them, but they are virtually invisible to the people around them. Perhaps, we are too preoccupied with our lives to open up our eyes and see other people around us. The greatest danger in the church today isn’t empty pews, but having people sit in pews who are invisible to those around them.

There are invisible people not only in our churches, but in all walks of life.  We may go to a restaurant and our server may be invisible to us.  We are only interested in getting served and we never make direct eye contact with the server.

People who are in nursing homes or who are shut-ins are also invisible to many in our society.  We are too busy with our lives to see the needs of these people who are lonely and invisible.  They are in a place that we never have to enter unless we make the choice to seek out these invisible people

Many children and young people are invisible to us.  We don’t understand them and we feel awkward communicating with them. We would rather stick with people our own age and with our own interest.  For this reason, many of our young people feel rejected by adults.

Being invisible is not a pleasant experience, no matter what age you are  It is difficult to have people walk by you without a word of greeting or a smile.  It is difficult to be alone for days without end and have nobody to speak with you.  It is hard to come to a church and seek love and find that you are invisible to the people in the church.

The Lord Jesus Christ understood people who were invisible.  To Jesus nobody is invisible!  He died for every person who walked upon this earth.  He knows the heart of each person.

When Jesus walked upon the earth, he paid special attention to those who were invisible to those around them.  He healed the lepers and the blind.  He paid special attention to Zacchaeus, who was a small man whom the crowd ignored. Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well, who was shunned by her community.  He gave forgiveness to the repentant thief on the cross.

How did Jesus see and minister to these invisible people?  He looked beyond Himself and learned to share His love and compassion with those around Him.  Do we have this same love and compassion to see those who are invisible in our churches, nursing homes, hospitals and many other places?

“Dear Lord, I thank you that I am not invisible to you. You know everything about me. You love me with an everlasting love. When I am invisible to others, I know that I can still enjoy communion with you. Help me to look beyond myself and see those people who are invisible to others.  Amen”