Being Invisible

Last week I wrote in my journal, “Sometimes I feel invisible.”

Sometimes I wonder if what I’m doing has any real significance. Does any of it matter to anyone? If I were to just disappear would anyone even notice?  Or am I already so invisible that it wouldn’t be evident to anyone at all?

Last week when I wrote in my journal, I had been experiencing an exceptionally challenging week. I’d known ahead of time that it would be difficult and I’d need God’s grace and strength to make it through. The circumstances were out of my control but my response to them wasn’t. I started with a good attitude, acknowledging my need for God’s direction. But as the week went on and I began to get tired, I also began to lose my perspective. By the time I wrote that I was feeling invisible, I’d allowed my focus to shift to myself.  Then, as He does so faithfully, God intervened. The method he often uses with me is the written word. His, as well as others that He has inspired to write.

This time He used John 3:30.  John the Baptist is speaking about his ministry when he says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  The Lord also used a tiny little ninety page book by Nicole Johnson called The Invisible Woman, When Only God Sees.  In this little book the author talks about the building of the great cathedrals in the 1400’s.  Some of these magnificent structures took more than a hundred years to complete. Dedicated craftsmen spent their entire lives working on a project that they wouldn’t live to see completed.

The cathedrals are breathtaking to behold. But what’s even more amazing is to consider the thousands of skilled artisans whose names will never be known and who received no credit for their work even though they faithfully gave their talents for a lifetime. And the ultimate gift they offered? Some of them labored over miniature intricate carvings and then hid them behind walls…where they were intended for the eyes of God alone.

The question I find myself asking is – how willing am I to faithfully complete the tasks the Lord has given me? Am I willing to be invisible on purpose instead of whining about how unappreciated I can feel when no one seems to notice me or what I am doing?

My prayer today is, “Lord make me invisible so others may see You more clearly!”